


Save Me, Date Me

by Rainy_Summer



Series: Save Me [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gang World, F/M, Female Haechan, Female Renjun, Gun Violence, Kidnapping, M/M, Mentions of crime, Mentions of drugs, Minor Character Death, Multi, Other, Polyamory, Pre-Poly, Stalking, established renmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:02:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 54,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23048995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainy_Summer/pseuds/Rainy_Summer
Summary: Curiosity killed the cat, but Renjun was neither curious nor a cat. Cats weren't even curious because they're very cautious beings. Chenle was a dolphin, but it was his curiosity that had lead them to this situation, where they're only counting the seconds before they close their eyes forever.Or, Renjun and her cousin stumbled upon a murder, and now she's dating her crush.What?
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Series: Save Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1917433
Comments: 88
Kudos: 281





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know I should be focusing on my two ongoing fics, but I wrote this instead. Those two were so heavy and I need one which would have a really ligher them. Plus, I can't erase the female Renjun idea in my head so here it is.

This is a bad idea, Renjun told herself, as she heard the gunshots ringing behind her. Her knees buckled in fright, causing her to fall on the cold, wet and dirty ground. 

On normal nights, the bruises and cuts she incurred would have bothered her. It wasn't any other normal nights though. If she would make it out alive with just her bruises and cuts, then she would definitely consider herself lucky.

She highly doubted that that would be the case. 

She was going to die. She was going to die in this cold and dark alley, and her body would be found days after with no identification, causing her to end up being a tool of Science for medical students. 

Well, at least she would make a contribution in her final moment. 

Renjun winced as she tried to get up, only to fall back down again. Her legs already lost their strength to function and her entire body lost its will to survive. 

Another gunshot. 

Renjun yelped as she placed her hands over her chest while her beloved cousin screamed in half Korean and half Mandarin — talking and crying at the same time. 

"Move and I'll make sure that the next bullet will go straight to your head. "

The voice which Renjun only heard once before during her Nat. Sci. class echoed on that dark and empty alley. It wasn't like a warning like that that was still needed when Renjun couldn't even stop her legs from shaking. She shut her eyes, as the footsteps of the person whom she and her cousin were running away from drew closer. 

This is a bad idea, she told herself again. But really, she was too late. If only she had realized it a little sooner. 

She should have known better than to roam around this late at night. It was dangerous. There had been a lot of news about bodies being found on the river banks recently, and that should have been enough of a warning for her to stay home, be safe and be comfortable. 

Home. What a beautiful place. Renjun imagined what could happened had she gone straight home in the studio type apartment she was sharing with her boyfriend. She could have been on the memory foam mattress of their bed while the said boyfriend pampered her with cuddles and kisses. That would have been a much better option than the cold wet ground she was sitting on. Why was it wet, anyway? It didn't even rain for the past days. 

She could have been breathing the calming scent of the lavender candle that her boyfriend loved to light up before bed time. That would be a hundred— a million times better breathing her probably last breath. 

But alas, she wasn't. Reasons failed her the very moment she tagged along to this plan and ended up witnessing something she wasn't supposed to. 

They said that curiosity killed the cat, but Renjun was neither curious nor a cat. Cats weren't even curious because they're very cautious beings. 

Chenle was a dolphin, but it was his curiosity that lead them to this situation, where they're only counting the seconds before they close their eyes forever.

Thinking about it, as the person they were running away from drew closer, Renjun couldn't help but realize that yes, Chenle was the one to blame. 

None of it would have happened if her cousin hadn't developed a crush on Fairy Guy. 

●●●

"He's dating Mark Lee from Philosophy, " Chenle stated as he slammed his books on the table, droplets of the ramen's soup that Renjun was having, splattered a little bit on her white button up blouse. She glared automatically. 

"Sorry? " Chenle apologized half-heartedly before sitting down opposite her. "I can't believe he would date him and not me. "

Renjun picked up a tissue to try and wipe her blouse aggressively to remove the stain. Futile attempt, she realized, as it only spread further. She sighed as she crumpled the tissue in her hand. 

"Who are we talking about this time? "

Chenle had a crush often, and he switched crushes almost every week that Renjun finally gave up on remembering their names. 

"You know him. I told you. Lee Taeyong, remember? " 

Renjun didn't. She might have stared blankly at her cousin for quite a long time for him to realize that no, Renjun didn't know who he was talking about. 

"The ice cream guy! "

Oh! 

Renjun finally remembered him. Only, she was more familiar with Fairy Guy, the nickname Chenle had given him on first sight. It was kind of fitting, because of the pastel color of his hair, which Renjun had seen changed four times in just a span of one month. 

Weird. Chenle rarely had a crush on the same person within the span of one week. It was already one month when Chenle declared that he had a crush of Fairy Guy, and it was also exactly a month since Fairy Guy turned him down gently. Chenle should have moved on already by now. 

Chenle stole the cup of ramen from her and began slurping loudly, that the other students in the cafeteria shot him weird looks. Renjun let him be. She was full anyway. Plus, eating usually calm her cousin down. 

"I can't believe he would date him but not me! " Chenle stated loudly, again, that some students already packed their things to leave, annoyed at his behaviour.   
Okay. So maybe eating wasn't enough to calm him this time. 

"Who's him? " Renjun decided to ask. (Renjun would later realize that she shouldn't. Maybe she could have changed her fate had she tried to act like she didn't care.)

"Him, " Chenle pointed at someone behind her with his mouth.   
She quickly turned her head to the side to look for whoever "him" was, only for her to be distracted with another person who happened to be alone in the cafeteria. Renjun's eyes zoned in on him, as he continued to devour the kimbap on his lunch-box, the dark rimmed thick glasses threatened to fall from his face. 

Renjun could only wonder who was preparing lunch for him and if she and his boyfriend would be able to have the chance to do that for him. It would be nice. Her and her two boyfriends living in their small studio type apartment, with two small dogs, or maybe cats, accompanying them in their simple and happy life. 

"Jie, not him! And stop thirsting right in front of my ramen! "

Renjun pouted as she turned back to her cousin. It was technically her ramen, she wanted to correct him, but Chenle pointed her to whoever "him" was, again. 

Renjun turned to see a tuff of black with bronzey-blonde highlights. She caught a glimpse of the person's face, recognizing him as someone she knew from before. She squinted hard, until she realized that, yes, she actually knew that person. 

"Wow, " she exclaimed as she turned back to her cousin. 

"I know. Ugly, right? "

Renjun made a face. She couldn't exactly agree. It wasn't that she was shock at how "him" looked like. Or maybe she was, but not for the same reason that Chenle thought. It's just that she was so used to seeing "him" in a perfectly ironed button up shirt, with his hair brushed away from his face. She was so not used to seeing him in a black leather jacket and with his hairstyle looking like the stylist randomly used bleach. Oddly enough, it suited him anyway. 

"His name is Mark Lee, " she supplied nonchalantly. 

"I know. "

Renjun quirked an eyebrow. 

"That's not the only thing I know about him."

So, apparently, at least according to Chenle, aside from dating Fairy Guy, Mark Lee was doing also doing the following:

One, he was skipping his lectures, and his absences were becoming more frequent than usual. 

Two, he had unexplainable bruises in his arms, which lead to the third thing about him. 

Three, Mark Lee was a member of one of Seoul's notorious mafia. 

"Okay, so what makes you so sure about that? " Renjun asked, shocked (but not really) at how Chenle's suspicions escalated that quickly. 

Chenle shrugged. 

"It's quite obvious, " Chenle replied after gulping the last of the soup. "His absences coincided with the news about the dead bodies in Seoul. That could be him. Besides, how else would you explain those bruises on his body? Most especially, how would you explain that leather jacket? "

Renjun shook her head. She couldn't find it in her head to imagine Mark doing criminal work, when he was very awkward in the lecture they shared before. 

"First of all, I haven't seen those bruises which you're talking about. Second of all, if he ever really have those bruises, what makes you sure that he got it from mafia related works. He could be a victim of bullying for all we know. "

"And the leather jacket? "

Renjun shrugged. "Probably him trying to act tough to avoid further bullying?"

Chenle rolled his eyes. "I cannot trust someone with leather jacket. Especially if they have seagull like eyebrows and two-toned hair. He could also be cheating on Taeyong. I don't know. I just can't trust him."

Chenle's stare lingered a little bit longer at Mark. Then his eyes began to sparkle brightly. He had an idea. 

Oh no! 

Chenle had an idea! 

It was going to be a really dumb idea!

Renjun immediately arranged her things inside her bag, standing up immediately from her chair in order to leave wordlessly. 

She had been slow. 

By the time she was about to make her first step to running away, Chenle already grabbed her by the hand and looked at her with shining, bright eyes. 

"Jie, I know! " Chenle exclaimed happily. "Why don't we follow him tonight? "

●●●

Thinking back, Renjun should have tried better to assert her power as the older of the two, in order to persuade Chenle to rethink his plan on trying to uncover Mark's "dark secret". She might have done so, but since when did her cousin even listened to her? Besides, she had always been weak to Chenle's puppy eyes (or was it dolphin eyes?), because deep inside, despite how much she tried to deny, Chenle definitely had her at the palm of his hand from the very moment they first met (which was when Chenle was three, with chubby cheeks and chubby hands, and loud giggles that could shake the Earth).

Renjun found herself trailing after Chenle as the latter trailed after Mark Lee, as Mark Lee lead them to this dark and empty alley. The place itself should have been a red flag, but Renjun had tried to be positive. Well, Mark could be living in one of the poor areas of Seoul. For all they knew, he could have been going straight home, like the good boy that he was, to do his homeworks and to study for a quiz. 

Except, he wasn't. 

Renjun and Chenle witnessed three bodybuilder looking guys emerged from the darkness to corner Mark, as they themselves hid behind the trash cans about ten meters away from where Mark was. 

"I told you, he's being bullied, " she whispered to her cousin, who pouted in disappointment. Renjun took her own phone from her bag in order to call the police. There's no way that Renjun would let a weak and fragile person be taken advantaged by people who's only asset was they're built. She always have a soft spot for the smaller ones, as she was also small herself. She wouldn't let injustice prevail. 

The green call icon was just a mere touch away when the loud gunshot was heard.

Renjun let her phone slide from her hands and clatter to the ground. She brought up her hands to her mouth to muffle her scream as one of the three muscle guys fell to the ground instantly. 

The two others looked like they were about to take out a gun of their own to shoot Mark, but Mark was faster than both of them. Two more gunshots and they were both on the ground as well. 

Renjun remained rooted to where she was, as she tried to process what had just happened. 

Who would have thought that Mark Lee had a gun, and who would have thought that he would be capable of killing anybody? Renjun didn't, but Chenle certainly did. 

Her cousin elbowed her side. "I told you, he's in a gang!"

Renjun watched as Chenle took out his own phone and began opening the camera app. 

"What are you doing? " she asked nervously. 

"Taking evidence! " Chenle answered. "It's the reason why we're here, anyway. "

Maybe Renjun should have dragged him out of that alley right then and there. She could have prevented her cousin from making a fatal mistake. 

But then again, she was too nervous to think properly. Besides, she didn't expect Chenle to be so careless. 

Chenle was supposed to take a video of Mark Lee. He wasn't supposed to take a picture of him — especially not with the shutter sound and fucking flash on! 

That was all it took for Mark's attention to be diverted from searching the dead bodies to staring at them. 

They all stared at each other silently. A long moment passed before anyone made a sound. It was Chenle. 

Chenle shrieked loudly, louder than the gunshots had been. Loud enough to wake Renjun's senses up, that she immediately got up on her feet to run while dragging Chenle with her.

They ran nonstop as Chenle told her "I told you so" over and over again. Well, Renjun told him they should just go straight to their respective homes after their lectures. He didn't listen, did he? Renjun wasn't rubbing it on his face. Why? Because they needed to focus on running. 

But really, what could running do? 

What could running do when you're running away from a person with a gun? 

Nothing. 

Gunshots after gunshots were fired, and finally, Renjun's body gave up on trying to survive. It's like her body was telling her that, hey, we're going to die anyway, so why make me tired?

So that was how Renjun found herself sitting on the ground, praying to whoever God that was listening to save them, or at least make their death less painful. She would, of course, very much prefer the former.

She hadn't even uploaded her latest Moomin fanart on Deviantart, yet.

She hadn't even finished her Code Geass fanfic on AO3, yet.

Most of all, she hadn't even confessed to her boyfriend where she hid his Buntaengi stuff toy, yet.

Oh, her boyfriend. Her sweet, loving and clingy boyfriend! May he find the will to live, even without Renjun to tuck him in bed to sleep. May her precious boyfriend find peace and serenity in this dark and cold world.

Renjun closed her eyes and held Chenle's hand tighter as Mark continued to come closer.

This was it.

This was how they're going to die.

Renjun gulped and began counting the seconds inside her head.

1, 2, 3…

10, 11, 12…

30, 31, 32…

56, 57, 58…

The fuck was taking so long?

Renjun finally opened her eyes to see Mark looking at her scrutinizingly.

"Wait, aren't you that girl from Nat. Sci. II? "

●●●

"Renjun-jie, " Chenle whispered, voice uncharacteristically low, as they sat on the floor next to each other with their backs against the wall. Chenle rested his head on her shoulder, and Renjun would have cooed if it wasn't for the circumstances. "If we don't make it out alive, know that you're the bestest jie in the whole wide world, or maybe even in the universe. I feel so lucky to have you as my cousin. I feel like in some other universe, you actually gave birth to me. I love you, jie. I love you to the moon, Mars, Polaris and back. "

"Why Polaris? " Mark Lee decided to ask as he stood next to the entrance of the abandoned warehouse where he had taken Renjun and Chenle. 

"Why do you care? " Chenle snapped at him. Bad person or not, Mark was still his love rival, and for some reasons in Chenle's world, that's by far more important. 

"Just wanting to start a conversation? Uh… sorry? " Mark Lee answered as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before shifting his stare back outside the door. 

For someone who had just pointed a gun at them a while ago, Mark was suddenly acting a little too nice.

Of course he threatened them to come with him to this abandoned warehouse, but even while threatening them, he sounded so nice.   
(He could have said "Follow me or die" but he chose to say, "Can you guys come with me? I kind of don't want to hurt you because, uh, how do I say this? Just follow me, please? " instead.)

Well, since he asked so nicely… of course they followed him, he had a gun!

So that's how they ended up inside this place, not tied up like Renjun expected they would be, but with a box filled with different carbonated drinks that their kidnapper kindly offered.

("So, like, make yourself comfortable, I guess? Sorry that's not cold, but that's all I can offer. Can you wait here? I'll just make a call outside. Please don't try to run away. I really don't want to hurt you.")

There.

What a kidnapping.

It felt more like they were just hanging out.

Hanging out in an abandoned warehouse with his cousin, and a person whom they just witnessed commit three counts of murder. 

How? 

At this point, Renjun wasn't sure anymore what's happening. She was so sure that they wouldn't make it out if that dark, empty, wet and smelly alley, but here they were, alive because Renjun happened to share one class with him.

Did she like, let Mark Lee copy her homework or something? Was that how they managed to survive? Was that the reason why they're still alive?

Maybe that's beyond the point. They made it out alive, but until when? Mark was obviously waiting for something—for someone. Time could only tell what's going to happen to them. 

"They're going to kill me, " Chenle muttered while sniffling, before wiping his nose on the sleeve of Renjun's blouse. "They're going to kill me and harvest my organs before throwing my empty body in the river. My kidneys. My precious little kidneys! I will miss my precious little kidneys. No! "

"Shut up, Chenle, " she muttered while massaging her temple with her fingers. 

In her pretty but not so little mind, she was starting to device a plan to escape. There's two of them, and there's only one Mark. Maybe they could try to over power him?

Or maybe not. Mark had a gun, and if he could take on three people who looked like they could audition to either the Smackdown or Raw roster, what's gonna stop him from taking on two stick figures? 

"They're going to sell you to the prostitution rink, jie, " Chenle continued much to Renjun's annoyance. "They're going to sell you to some stinky old billionaire and you will never be able to come home. Jaemin hyung will miss you. Jaemin hyung will miss your boobs. Oh, Jaemin hyung! Precious little Jaemin hyung! No! "

"Hey that's not true! " Mark interjected, sounding very much offendedby Chenle's accusation. "We don't do forced prostitution in our group! And who's Jaemin?"

"Oh, so you're not denying that your harvesting internal organs!" Chenle answered. "My kidneys! My precious little kidneys! No! "

"No, no, no, " Mark frantically waved his hands in the air. "Just…just those of the bad people. You're not like…bad people, aren't you? "

"No, but, I bet you are, " Chenle replied while sticking his tongue out, because provoking their kidnapper seemed like a fun idea. Renjun smacked her palm against her forehead. 

"So, like, why were the two of you following me again? " Mark asked curiously. Somehow, Renjun could sense that he was actually apologetic that she and her cousin stumbled upon that scene. Despite what they witness, Renjun still felt that deep inside, Mark Lee was still a good guy like she initially thought. Wait, was this Stockholm Syndrome? 

"We did it for love! " Chenle exclaimed proudly, as if what they just did had not sent them to a very dangerous situation. 

Mark furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, clueless as to what Chenle was talking about. He tried to process the very vague reasoning that Chenle had given him. Slowly, his face brightened up in realization before his expression turned into panicked. Then he turned to Renjun

"You…you…" he said while pointing a shaky finger at her. "You don't happen to…you don't happen to have a crush on me, do you?"

Renjun grimaced before shaking her head. She might have thought that Mark was a poor innocent boy who was trapped in a crime filled world, but no, she didn't have a crush on him. Why would she when she had a boyfriend? Why would she, when she's crushing on another person?

"Eww." Chenle fake gagged. "Why are you so assuming? "

Mark didn't look offended. Instead, he looked relieved, as if Renjun having a crush on him would be troublesome for him. Renjun was deeply offended. 

"Oh, good. I thought that's going to be a problem. So, uh, why were you following me again? "

"I told you, we did it for lov—"

There was a loud roaring of engine presumably heading their direction. Mark looked outside to check. The sound of the roaring engine grew closer and soon enough, it was followed by a loud crash. 

Chenle shrieked and Renjun jumped in surprise. Mark smacked his palm on his forehead before groaning. "Not again! "

"Jie, this is it, this is the end, jie!" Chenle screamed while hugging her so tight, that the lack of oxygen could possibly cause her death instead. "They're going to load us to that white van and seal our fate. I promise you, jie. If they kill me… if they kill me, my ghost will follow and protect you forever and we will punish everyone who hurt us! We will make them suffer! We will not let them prevail! "

That's it! Once they survive this, no more creepypasta and thought catalog for Chenle forever! 

Assuming they would survive.

Renjun could feel her heart hammering against her chest as she waited for the people to come in. She had seen this in movies a lot of times before. Men, with a minimum height of 5'11 would enter, each of them carrying a high caliber of gun, would enter while laughing maniacally. Renjun and Chenle would be lucky if they would be shot immediately, but no. They would torture them until they finally reveal whoever it was that sent them to follow Mark. Chenle would tell them that it was love, so he'll probably die first. Oh no! Renjun would have to endure everything on her own! 

That's it! She's not going to watch those kinds of movies again! 

Renjun braced herself for what was about to come, her eyes never leaving the warehouse opening until slowly, someone emerged from the view. Someone who's…

A girl? 

"What?! " Renjun and Mark said both at the same time. 

It was a girl. A very pretty girl. A very pretty tan girl in a baby pink tank top, a very short pair of high-waist denim shorts and a white pair sneakers. She's also wearing a cute black cat headband on her long, wavy, light brown hair. Oh, and was that a collar with a bell around her neck?

"The fuck are you doing here? " Mark Lee asked the girl with his eyes still wide, seemingly as surprised as Renjun herself, but also a little bit angry. 

The said girl just ignored Mark's harsh tone as she immediately latched her arms around his neck. 

"Mark Lee, I miss you! "

"We live together? " Mark said sounding even more irritated despite the fact that he immediately wrapped his arm around the girl's waist. "Didn't I tell you to stay out of our business? What are you doing here? "

"You can't be mad, " pretty girl reasoned. "I had to go with him or else he would have died because in his excitement, he forgot to wear his glasses again. "

Mark sighed. "Obviously. He crashed the van again. Hyung is so going to be mad again. "

Renjun felt her cousin nudging her from the side and she was forced to tear away her stare from the couple.

"Told you, he was cheating on my beloved. "

Renjun rolled her eyes. Of course, that's still the most important thing.

The girl finally removed herself from Mark before searching the warehouse until her eyes landed on Renjun.

"So let's see, what do we have here, " Renjun felt every inch of her body tingled as the girl scrutinized her from head to toe. "Pretty eyes, pretty nose, pretty lips, petite body, pretty skin, long dark brown hair…hmm…perfect! "

Renjun wasn't sure what to feel as the said girl made a huge check in the air. Was she supposed to feel flattered?

"Jie, you passed the requirements! They're going to sell your body to prostitution, I told you! "

"Wait, we have a prostitution business now? " The girl turned to Mark Lee in genuine confusion.

"No! " Mark Lee immediately denied before her face turned angry again."And what 'we' are you talking about? You're not included! "

The girl pouted while she crossed her arms. "Yet. Not yet. "

Mark rolled his eyes. "Where is he by the way? "

"He's just composing himself, somewhere. He's a nervous wreck, " the girl answered with a mischievous smile. "Oh wait, here he is. "

Renjun immediately turned her attention to the entrance as she waited for who else was supposed to come. 

Then he came in.

He came in and Renjun couldn't believe her eyes. 

Renjun had seen him countless of times before, and she might have dozens of stolen pictures of him in her phone (most of them blurry, because she was a nervous wreck) but she had never seen him like this before.

Renjun was so used to seeing him in his oversized, had seen better days, sweater. Renjun was so not prepared to see him in a sleeveless shirt that was exposing those delicious looking biceps.

Not fair!

Why had he been hiding that from the world for so long?

Why had he been hiding that from Renjun for so long? 

Their eyes met, and for the first time, she had seen his beautiful face without those dark rimmed and thick glasses. He was so beautiful, not like the glasses made him ugly or anything, but really, he was so beautiful. 

He flashed her one of the most beautiful smile Renjun had ever seen, the one that was so bright, it could light up her entire world. 

The angels began singing and playing their harps inside her ears, and her heart began beating fast. 

She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe her eye.

Him.

It was definitely him — Lee Jeno, the subject of Renjun's very wholesome dreams, which after this day, would not be as wholesome as before. 

"Oh my gosh, jie, it's hot nerd! "

Suddenly, Renjun felt the sudden urge to steal Mark Lee's gun, to either to shoot Chenle or herself due to embarassment, especially when all three of them asked simultaneously, "Hot nerd? "

●●●

"This is a bad idea, " Mark Lee muttered from the driver seat, and for the first time during the night, Renjun found herself agreeing with him as they sped towards their destination. 

Everything happened so fast after a brief and awkward hi and hello between her and "hot nerd", who, for some reasons, apparently knew her.

("Don't you recognize me? " Hot nerd had asked her.

Renjun gulped, and for a while, she feared that her secret activity of watching him from afar (stalking him) had been discovered. "In the uni? We're always in the library almost at the same time. " That wasn't a lie but that wasn't exactly the truth, either. Hot nerd didn't need to know that Renjun had been purposely waiting in the library just to see him.

"Oh, " Hot nerd looked disappointed for some reason Renjun didn't quite understand. "Right. The library. ")

Apparently, the reason why Mark hadn't killed them instantly was because hot nerd would have hated him if he did. There was some brother code going on, and Renjun felt like there's a missing puzzle piece that's stopping her from comprehending things, but that was beyond the point. She swore she had looked at Jeno with heart eyes, because wow, he's her hero. She couldn't wait to tell her boyfriend about everything! 

But that would probably take longer. 

Killing them wasn't an option. Unfortunately, letting them go home like nothing happened wasn't a good option as well.

("Dude, I didn't hurt them because of you, " Mark told Jeno. "But if we let them go, we might risk getting our family exposed."

"So what? " Chenle asked, and Renjun smacked him for being an ungrateful brat. They should be begging for their live and not sassing their kidnappers. 

"I have a good idea, " The girl chimed, and all three of them began whispering to one another. 

"What? " Jeno asked before turning to her with a blush on his face. "But why? "

The girl shrugged. "Either that or their gone. "

Jeno looked at her again, getting even redder as minutes passed by. "Fine. But only because I don't want them dead. "

"Sure, whatever you say," the girl replied, still with the mischievous look on her face. 

Renjun should have known that nothing good might come out of her.)

This was a bad idea. Riding with them to their hide out, where they would face some of Seoul's dangerous criminals was a bad idea. Most especially, riding next to the person she had been fantasizing about (with the consent and encourgement of her beloved boyfriend, of course), was an even bigger bad idea. She couldn't even stop herself from squirming as her fingers itched to pinch those prominent veins on his arms. She knew what they said about vein-y people, after all. 

Dear self, have a little more control.

"Do you have any other idea? " The girl, or Haechan as she introduced herself, asked Mark,who only grumbled in response. "Thought so. Geez, I'm such a fast thinker, I could be an asset to the gang. "

"Not another word about that, " Mark Lee reprimanded and although Haechan looked like she was about to argue, one glare from Mark had her zipping her mouth.

The entire vehicle became silent, saved for Chenle's stress munching on the bag of chips that 'hot nerd' had offered him.

("Didn't I gave you coke earlier? Why didn't you take mine but took that chips when you like, knew me longer?" Mark asked sounding too offended. 

"Shut up! I can trust hot nerd, but never seagull eyebrows. ")

Renjun could feel "hot nerd" Jeno staring at her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She was feeling so self conscious. 

"Are you okay?" Jeno asked from beside her. Due to the close proximity, Renjun could feel his hot breath brushing against her cheeks. Dear god, why the temptation? 

"You haven't said a word in while. I'm really sorry that we have to take you like this. I just…I just don't want you dead. "

Renjun fought the urge to swoon, because wow, how could he be this sweet and caring and boyfriend material? Why was the world so unfair?

"Don't worry, " It was Chenle who answered on her behalf. He was calmer and kinder after being fed. "She's just nervous, that's all. It's not everyday you can sit next to your cru—"

Renjun quickly clamped her hand on her cousin's mouth before he could reveal more about her and potentially give her another reason to put him up for adoption.

"Yes, I'm fine, " she answered. "And thank you for saving us. "

"Oh, no problem…I wouldn't let you die. "

Aww. How sweet. Look at this cute little (not so little) guy who's too soft and kind for this world? Who would have thought that he would be a member of a gang?

Renjun certainly didn't. That thought never crossed her mind whenever she watched him intently in the library while he bury his very handsome face inside the pages of those thick books.

She always thought of him as a really cute and caring angel who couldn't even harm a fly. But after learning that he was in fact in a gang with Mark Lee, Renjun still thought of him as a really cute and caring angel.

"You're not hurt anywhere, aren't you?" Jeno asked again and Renjun thankfully caught herself before admitting that she was in fact hurt, hurt by the sharpness and perfection of his jawline. "We're near and we have a really good doctor who could patch you up, don't worry. "

"Aww, " Haechan swooned as she stared at them from the passenger seat, before turning back to their designate driver. "Why aren't you ever sweet to me like that? "

"Because you are my pet. A very stubborn and unruly pet. Sit down properly!"

Haechan grumbled to herself but she quickly complied.

The car took way too many turns than they probably needed to. Renjun figured that Mark was probably trying to make sure they wouldn't be able to remember the way. He's wasting his time. Renjun's already too nervous just sitting beside Jeno to ever focus on the direction.

"We're here, " Mark said after a while before the van finally stopped.

Renjun took a good look at the surroundings behind the heavily tinted window. The surroundings looked so familiar, as if Renjun had been here countless of times before.

"Oh! " Chenle exclaimed. "That's our favorite candy shop! " he said as he pointed a really familiar looking establishment.

Oh, right. That's the candy shop he and Chenle frequented whenever they craved Chinese brands of sweets. 

"Wait, you know this place? " Mark asked in both horror and surprise.

"Duh? " Chenle answered back. "I just told you, that's our favorite candy shop! Wait, why did we like ride for hours when we could have arrived here in just five minutes? "

"I was trying to confuse both of you!"

"Psh, what a loser, " Chenle rolled his eyes and Haechan's loud laughter echoed inside the van. 

All five of them stepped off of the car and began walking toward the said candy store. Haechan was walking in front of them, Jeno between Renjun and Chenle, and Mark behind all of them. It was clearly a position to prevent them from escaping, which was weird because Renjun didn't thought about running away at all.

They were a mere foot away from the said establishment when Chenle stopped on his tracks and began crying loudly.

"Oh, God, what now? " Mark groaned in frustration, probably losing patience at Chenle's attitude already. 

"We've been eating sweets from this shop for a long time now! Oh no! What's in those candies? I'm going to die! We're going to die! "

"Chill kid, " Haechan said with a snort. "Those were like, normal candies. Unless of course you're diabetic, then that's a different story. "

They resumed back to walking until they reach the already closed establishment. Of course it was. It's passed midnight. 

"So what's the password? " Chenle asked as he randomly searched the back door for some secret buttons.

"What password? We just…knock, " Mark replied, and Chenle looked at him wierdly again before calling him lame.

They did knock, and they waited a couple of minutes before a person in his pyjamas opened the door. For some reason, the said person first saw her and Chenle. He sighed before rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"For God's sake, you, two, " the owner of the candy shop, or Kun as Renjun remembered, said in an annoyed manner. "It's already dead in the night. Can't you wait for morning to satisfy your sweet craving. "

"Ah, hyung, " Kun's eyes snapped open as he heard Jeno spoke. His eyes immediately switch from looking between Jeno, Mark and Haechan. "They're not here for candies."

Renjun felt pitiful as she watched Kun's reaction. He looked like he had been injected with hot americano with four shots of espresso. He looked instantly wide awake, and tiny beads of sweats formed on his forehead.

"Oh, are you guys, friends in the uni? " he asked shakily. "Come, come," he said as he opened the door wide, allowing them to enter. "It's not everyday that these kids bring home friends. You know they're really nice kids, right? Like they're not doing anything bad at all. Absolutely good kids! Absolutely crime free! "

"Could he get anymore obvious? " Haechan whispered only to be reprimanded by Mark again.

"So uh, like, do you want anything? Coffee, milk, tea or juice? We don't have alcohol in this household. And drugs. We don't have drugs. Absolutely no drugs at all! "

Renjun sighed before deciding that enough was enough and she had to speak up before Kun could have a heart attack.

"Ge, it's okay. We know. "

"You… you…" he quickly searched the eyes of his three "good kids". "They do?"

They nodded and Kun breathed a sigh in relief. He was only relieved for a while, though, as he began hyperventilate soon after

"What do you mean they know? "

He began rumbling again about ruined future and going to the dark side. Renjun didn't have the opportunity to listen to him anymore as Jeno began pulling her gently towards the stairs.

"Let's let him be, " he whispered. "He'll calm down on his own later. "

Renjun felt her heart hammering and wondered when she could calm down on her own as well.

So, yes, the stairs. The steep stairs that would lead her and her cousin to a door that would open up to a new world.

Renjun couldn't help but to imagine what was behind that door. 

White smokes and the smell of weeds and liquors.

Sexual music and poles with dancing strippers.

Politicians, businessmen, powerful people who could buy the world. 

Drugs. 

Sex. 

Power.

Renjun braced herself when Jeno opened the door to reveal…

A living room. 

A normal looking living room. 

A very clean and minimalist styled living room. 

What the fuck? 

Haechan chuckled beside her when she noticed her expression. "I bet you expected thick smokes and dancing strippers, as well as people doing drugs and having sex. I did, too, when I first came here. Kinda lame, right?"

Renjun was still recovering from her disappointment (shouldn't it be relief?) When a deep baritone voice interrupted her thoughts. 

"We do have a bar with dancing strippers. You could go there if you want to. "

"Haechan's not allowed to go to any bars," Mark said before climbing up another set of stairs. Haechan quickly trailed after him while repeatedly exclaiming how that wasn't fair. 

Two tall guys emerged from the hallway in nothing but their sleep wear (which were plain white shirts and a pair of sweat pants), before sitting down next to each other on the sofa. Renjun couldn't stop herself from staring because wow, one of them had this very defined and manly features, while the other one had a soft and baby like features. He even looked like he was a younger brother of Taemin from the idol group Shinee. Was this place really a hide out of a dangerous gang, or was this the dorm of some Kpop trainees? Why was everyone so good looking? 

"Jeno, who are they? " Taemin looked alike asked in a very soft and sweet voice. He was smiling gently at both her and Chenle. He looked like somebody who couldn't even harm a fly as well and Renjun wondered what someone like him could be doing in the dark side.

"Jaehyun-hyung, Jungwoo-hyung they're Renjun and Chenle, " Jeno introduced them nervously , as he motioned for them to sit on the opposite sofa. Renjun assumed that they're high in the hierarchy for Jeno to be acting too cautious in front of them. 

"And they're here, because? " Jaehyun asked, so he was the owner of the baritone voice that Renjun had heard earlier. 

"Because… because…," Jeno twisted on his own feet as he tried to answer it without incriminating them. "Because they witnessed Mark killing our enemy. " 

He failed. 

"Oh, " Jaehyun nodded to himself, looking a little too calm for the situation. "I see. "

"Are we going to kill them and harvest their organs?" Jungwoo asked with unmasked excitement that had Renjun immediately taking back what she thought about him earlier. "Because I haven't done that in a while. Still, I promise to make it less painful. "

Chenle shrieked as he moved even closer to Renjun. "I told you so! "

Jaehyun chuckled before pulling Jungwoo towards him and rubbing his arms. The latter immediately relaxed on the former's hold. "Calm down, babe. I don't think that's the case here. "

"No harvesting of organs? " Jungwoo asked with a pout. 

"No. "

"Even just one kidney each? "

"No, " Jaehyun chuckled again, as if such conversation was something considered as normal (although really, should Renjun be surprised if it was?).

"Besides, I don't think that's the reason why Jeno brought them here, right, Jeno? "

There was a mischievous glint in Jaehyun's eyes as he stared at Jeno and Jeno began to panic.

"I…I…"

"So who between the two them is the reason why you rushed out without your glasses on? More importantly, why?"

Jeno began to sweat. He swallowed nervously. He took a short glance at Renjun, before averting his eyes immediately. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Haechan came rushing down the stairs. 

"Jeno! Simon is asking for you. "


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know what I'm doing with this fic, lol, so please be kind to me.

This is Simon? Renjun caught herself looking at Jeno for confirmation, but the latter was far too nervous to give her any confirmation at all. Renjun's eyes automatically returned to Simon, who was sitting on his swivelled chair in nothing but an ice cream patterned pyjamas. The said Simon also seemed to be way too preoccupied by the chocolate ice cream he was eating, to ever notice their presence inside his action figure filled office. 

So this was Simon. 

The Simon who was supposed to be the leader of this gang. 

How? 

When Haechan had told them that Simon was requesting their presence, Jeno began sweating nervously, that caused Renjun to assume for the worst. She imagined him to be a middle age foreigner with thick beard and bald hair who always have a tobacco in his mouth. 

So how could this person be Simon? 

How could Simon be a twenty something, Chinese looking guy, with one pointed ear, who looked way too cute in his ice cream pattern pyjamas, while eating a chocolate flavored ice cream, and while being surrounded by action figures from several animations and video games. 

How? 

"Who died and made him a gang leader? " She muttered herself. 

"His father, " Jeno supplied helpfully. 

Oh, okay. 

Sorry? 

Simon seemed to have noticed them for the first time when he finally lifted his gaze from the tub of ice cream he was devouring. He looked at them with eyes wide open like a child who had been caught snacking in the middle of the night. He looked at them guiltily, as he wiped his mouth with the sleeves of his pyjamas, before sending them a sheepish smile. 

"Hi? " he greeted awkwardly, sending Renjun a small wave. Renjun however was still too confused to greet back. 

How? 

How could someone as cute as him be a leader of a gang? What could he do? Kill the enemies with softness? 

"Sit down! Sit down! " Simon ordered them in heavily accented Korean, sounding a little too excited than he should probably be. Renjun, the very confused and baffled Renjun, found herself sitting on one of the two chairs in front of Simon's desk. 

Simon took a tissue and began wiping his desk clean, setting the tub of chocolate ice cream to the side. Afterwards he turned to Renjun with a very friendly smile. Renjun smiled back, although she could feel the corners of her mouth shaking. 

"I'm Simon, " the person in front of her extended his hand. Renjun accepted reluctantly. 

"I'm Renjun. "

"I've been told! " Simon shook her hands vigorously as his eyes sparkled really brightly. "So how long have you and Jeno been dating? "

It took an entire minute before Renjun's strained smile turned into a straight line as she tried to process the new information. 

Dating? 

What dating? 

Her and Jeno?

Renjun turned to look at Jeno, who was sitting on the opposite chair. The latter only looked at her and sent her a very forceful smile. 

"Oh, don't be surprised! " Simon said as he finally let go of her hands. "I was already filled in by both Mark and Haechan earlier…mostly Haechan. Haechan told me that you and your cousin ended up following Mark in the wrong alley because you recognized him as Jeno's friend, and you decided to confront him about why your boyfriend was ghosting you. "

That was so far from the truth! What the fuck? Renjun turned to Jeno for clarification, but the latter was only nodding at her encouragingly, silently pleading for her to just go along. 

Oh. 

Was this the plan? 

Renjun almost smacked her palm on her forehead. Why didn't they informed her beforehand? She could have at least prepared to fake date her crush. God, what a night? How could witnessing a murder end up with fake dating one's crush? Renjun couldn't wait to tell Jaemin about it! 

"That was kind of risky, but brave. It could have ended wrong and dark, because we don't normally let witnesses live, unless of course they're minors. You're certainly not minors so could have ended up with option number five. Thankfully, you wouldn't find out what option number five is, because you're dating a family. "

Simon continued to smiled brightly, as if he hadn't just talk about the possibility of killing her and her cousin. Also, how many options were there? More importantly, how many among those options could end up with her and her cousin alive? 

"It's been a long time, " he said dreamily. "How long had it been since we last took someone in in this small family because of love? The last time was with Haechan, and Mark was still a freshman then. So how long have you been dating? "

"One year. "

"Five months. "

They both answered at the same time. 

Simon's demeanor changed from a friendly one to a very dangerous one. Renjun found herself gulping nervously. How could one person manage to change in just a blink of an eye? 

"We're dating for a year, Hyung, " Jeno tried to explain. "But we broke up several times in the past. It's been five months since we started dating again. "

Simon's eyes turned to Jeno dangerously, that Renjun started fearing for the latter's life. Jeno looked like he was on the verge of passing out, with how scared he was. Was Simon really that scary? 

"Then why were you ghosting her? That's mean! We do crimes, but we don't ghost people. That's really low, Jeno. I thought we raised you better! "

Renjun breathed a sigh of relief. So that's what he was upset about. For a while, she thought that Simon had seen through their act. Thankfully, not. Thank heavens that Simon was an advocate of anti-ghosting. 

"Hyung, we have so many issues here, " Jeno reasoned after recovering from his own mini heart attack. 

Simon's mouth formed into an 'o' before turning back to Renjun and grasping her hands again. 

"I guess that's my fault. I have way too much enemies, that Jeno had been too busy trying to protect his family to pay attention to you. I'm really sorry for ruining such wonderful budding relationship. Will you forgive me? "

Renjun gaped at him with her mouth wide open, because wow, a gang leader was apologizing to her. What in the world was happening? 

She quickly turned to Jeno for anything, but the latter was just nodding at her profusely, encouraging her to just accept it. 

Renjun turned back to Simon to give him another forceful smile. "Yes? " she answered awkwardly, which instantly brightened up his face. 

"Great! From now on, you can call me gege. You're Chinese, right? I am, too. Nice to meet you, Renjun! Welcome to the family! "

●●●

"What are these? " Renjun couldn't help but ask as she lifted clothings after clothings of what had been handed out to her by Haechan. Clothing was an overstatement, considering how the fabrics could barely cover anything at all. 

Jeno stared at the pieces of clothings before staring at Renjun. Then he blushed before quickly averting his gaze. 

"Lingerie? Have you not seen one before? " Haechan asked her with obvious disappointment, throwing her a very judgemental look from where she and Mark were standing next to the door. "Don't you know the importance of lingerie especially during—"

"Gosh, why are you so loud! " Mark thankfully covered her mouth before she could divulge any information which Renjun really didn't need. Although, of course, she was still a bit curious as to what her and Mark's relationship. Wasn't Mark supposed to be dating Fairy Guy, like Chenle said? 

"First of all, I know what a lingerie is. Second of all, why are you giving me these? " She asked before discarding those very sinful looking fabric very far from where she was sitting on the bed. 

Haechan tapped on Mark's hand to let her speak, and Mark let her reluctantly. "Well, Jeno asked me to lend you my sleepwear. That's exactly my sleepwear! "

Jeno judged Mark with his stare, and the latter just held his hands up in defense. "I should have known, " he said while shaking his head. 

"You should have, considering you sleep next to our room, " Haechan said proudly that had Mark groaning in frustration. 

"Never mind. I'll just lend her some of my own, " Jeno said before he started rummaging in his own closet, still with the very pink blush on his face. 

"Oh, cute! " Haechan exclaimed teasingly. "Girlfriend is going to wear boyfriend's clothes. Mark, I want to wear your clothes, too! "

Renjun blushed. She really liked wearing her boyfriend's clothes, although Jaemin really didn't need to know that. He didn't, even if Renjun's side of the closet was already giving it away. 

So yes, she loved wearing her boyfriend's clothes, and the thought of wearing Jeno's was sending her into paradise, where the birds were singing and the wind was blowing her frill white dress. Heaven. 

The two of them were obviously not really dating, but still, Renjun couldn't believe that at one point, she'd get to experience doing couple things with Jeno, even just because of a fake relationship. Besides, maybe if she could convince Jeno to date her for real. After all, Renjun had already caught him ogling her a good couple of times. Not to mention, he always blushed when he's looking at her. Maybe, just maybe, she could date him for real. 

She couldn't wait to tell Jaemin about it!

Speaking of Jaemin…

"Has anyone seen my phone? "

All three of them shook their head. Right. She probably lost it while she and Chenle were running away from Mark. That was an old model anyway and she was planning to replace it. The only problem was that she had no way of letting her boyfriend know that she's in fact, alive, and that she was having a sleepover in a gang's headquarters with her crush. 

"Where's Chenle?" she asked after finally noticing her cousin's absence. "I want to borrow his phone. "

Renjun felt a little guilty that she only noticed her cousins absence a bit later. Oh, well, she was walking on cloud nine. Chenle would understand. 

"Dead in a ditch, " Haechan answered seriously before bursting into maniacal laughter. "I've always wanted to say that. "

Mark face palmed before deciding to answer. "He's with Kun. The hyungs figured, you two needs privacy because Jeno ghosted you. "

"Will he be fine? "She asked, before she could succumb to the temptation if imagining what kind of 'privacy' they would need. Fake dating, Renjun. Fake dating! 

"Duh, it's Kun, " Haechan replied with a snort. "He's probably reading him a story book before tucking him in bed. The worst thing that Kun could do to him is to spoil him and fatten him up with sweets. "

"What do you need a phone for, anyway? " Mark asked her suspiciously. "You're not going to call the police, are you? "

"Of course not! " how could she, when Simon already embraced her and called her as one of their own? That would be way too ungrateful of her to do so. Besides wasn't she just planning to date Jeno for real? Calling the police would blow up her chance and maybe have her own head blown up as well. "I just want to call my boyfriend. "

Three sets of eyes immediately landed on her as all three persons began gaping at her. Did she say something wrong?

"Boyfriend? " Haechan asked looking way too betrayed. "Why do you have a boyfriend? You can't have a boyfriend! No! "

Renjun frowned before looking at her angrily. What was she saying that Renjun couldn't have a boyfriend? Just because her boobs weren't as big as hers, and just because she wasn't as tall as her didn't mean that she couldn't have a boyfriend. Jaemin loved her small boobs and her petite stature so much! 

"Of course she has a boyfriend! " Jeno interjected, sounding a little shaky for some reason. "She's really pretty, and she's really smart! She's bound to have a boyfriend! "

Renjun blushed after hearing those compliments from Jeno. She had more reasons to believe that she had a great chance to convince him to date her for real. 

"But… but… the fuck, Jeno, are you crying? "

Renjun turned to Jeno and true enough, there were tears in his eyes which he immediately wiped with the sleeve of his hoody. Was he…hurt? 

"No, I'm just sleepy! I cry when I'm sleepy! " Jeno aggressively denied as he began pushing both Haechan and Mark out of the room. 

Renjun fought the urge to coo. So, he cried when he's sleepy? Kinda adorable. How could Jeno be cute and hot at the same time? Not fair! 

Maybe Jaemin would like him, too. Didn't he find it adorable when Renjun clung to him when she's sleepy?

Only when the door closed behind Mark and Haechan did Renjun realized the inevitable. 

She was going to spend the night in Jeno's room, with him. 

What an interesting fast development? 

Renjun gulped to stop herself from being nervous. Really, what was there to be nervous about? She was just going to sleep in the same room with her crush, who happened to be a member of a very unlikely mafia. No biggie, right? 

Except Jeno turned back to her with a very sad and disappointed expression that had her wondering what she did wrong. 

"Renjun, " Jeno called her, similarly to how Jaemin would when he wanted something. "Do you really not recognize me? "

"Didn't we first met in the library? " Renjun asked. Because really, that's how she remembered their first meeting to be. Jeno was walking inside with thick books in his arms, most probably to return them. Renjun happened to lift her eyes off of the astronomy book she was reading, in time for their eyes to meet and have a spark of connection. The connection was only broken when Jeno, poor innocent Jeno, ended up bumping his entire body on the glass door. Damn the university for not affording an automatic door. 

But really, that's how they first met. Of course, Jeno didn't need to know that she began frequenting the library, just to get a glimpse of him because she had a crush. 

Jeno shook his head and he sighed in disappointment. "Don't you remember? Middle School? Blue drawstring bag? Acacia tree? Free sandwich? "

Renjun slowly began to process what Jeno had said, and slowly, some of the memories that she had during middle school began to resurface. 

"You… how? "

●●●

Renjun held the strap of her bag tightly as she rushed towards the direction of the school's abandoned building. She made sure to check if someone else was following her. When she finally made sure that she was alone, she finally relaxed as she began to walk towards her destination. 

She stumbled upon this place accidentally when she was running away from the students who were chasing after her to steal her bag. She hid behind the very dangerous looking and on the verge of collapsing building, where she stumbled upon a really old acacia tree. Now, there were several legends and mythology associated with acacia trees, and technically, that should be enough to sway anybody from lingering near it. 

Not Renjun. 

Renjun had always been fascinated by other entities living in this world. She was certainly sure that there were more creatures out there that Science and the society refused to acknowledge. She wasn't afraid at all. 

Besides, why would she when some students were a tad more dangerous than the creatures in the legends ever could be? They're especially more dangerous if you happened to be a foreigner who could barely speak their language. 

Renjun huffed. Her official hide out was a little too far from her classroom. It would have been easier to just spend lunch in the cafeteria, if not for the students who would most likely steal her lunch again. She couldn't risk being hungry for the remaining periods. 

Renjun was already tired when she reached the acacia tree, and she was so close to sitting down to eat her lunch when she heard a very loud roar. 

Like that of a thunder. 

Like that of a wild animal. 

Was this the creature that the legends were talking about? 

Renjun held the strap of her bag tightly, as she tried to find the source of the sound. She was of course, a little bit wary of what she might suddenly encounter. 

The sound grew louder and her breath was hitched on her throat. What kind of creature would create such noise? 

Suddenly, she stumbled upon the source, and she couldn't believe her eyes. 

It was a boy. A very thin sleeping boy who's wearing the same uniform as the male students of their school, except, most of them have actual bags and not drawstring ones. He didn't look familiar, so he was probably not on the same class as her. Besides, he looked way too small to be on the same grade as her, anyway. 

The boy's eyes snapped opened to give her a menacing glare. She stumbled backward. 

When the boy seemed to have figured out that she wasn't a threat, he turned away from her to sleep once again. 

Renjun was at lost on what to do. The acacia tree had been her secret place for a while now. But since someone else managed to find it, should she look for another one? 

Renjun eyed the boy's sleeping form. He didn't look like he was eager to hurt her as much as the other students did. Maybe if she wouldn't disturb him, then they could share the place. 

Just one try. Just one try and if it didn't work out, she would run away. 

Renjun tiptoed silently to hide in the opposite part of the tree. She silently opened her bag to retrieve the lunch that her mother had prepared for her. Just as she was about to take one spoonful of rice, she heard the loud sound again. 

Renjun got up slowly to take a peek on the sleeping boy. He was clutching his stomach in his sleep. 

Renjun immediately felt pity. She knew what it's like to be hungry, after having her lunch stolen several times before. She dug out the sandwich she had in her bag which was supposed to be her after class meal (she was a growing girl who needed to eat in order to be tall). Wordlessly, she tiptoed towards the sleeping boy and placed the sandwich next to his blue drawstring bag, before returning back to her own position and resume having her lunch. 

She ate in silence. So silent that she could here the sound of plastic being unwrapped. 

She smiled. 

It started during that day, and Renjun didn't know why, but she began packing extra sandwich for the boy who happened to have stayed at their common hiding place. They never gotten the chance to talk because Renjun wasn't confident in her Korean and she was kind of afraid that her only "friend" would laugh at her accent. She just fed him during lunch for about a couple of school years. 

Unfortunately, she had not been able to ask for a name. By the end of her eight grade, her mother got a hang of the bullying that she was going through, and the fact that the School itself was discriminating foreigners. She transferred to another school without being able to say goodbye to that one "friend".

●●●

Renjun gaped at Jeno once she finally figured out how they first met. Still, Renjun couldn't believe her eyes. Jeno looked so different then. He used to be skin and bones. He really filled up his body. He looked healthy, and hot. Who would have thought that the boy whom she was feeding back then could grow up like this? 

"Is that really you? " 

Jeno nodded happily, clearly satisfied that Renjun was able to remember him. It he was a puppy, his ears would probably be bouncing and his tail would be wagging. 

"It's really me! I'm glad you remember! "

Why couldn't she, when Jeno was like the only beautiful memory he had during middle school? 

"But, " Jeno suddenly frowned. "You disappeared. Why? "

There was this apparent sadness in Jeno's eyes as he ask, like he had been affected of her disappearance. Renjun never thought about how the skinny boy had felt when she and her sandwiches stopped appearing in his life. Judging from Jeno's expression, he might have missed her dearly, and maybe, he too considered her as his only friend. 

"I… sorry… I transferred to a different school. Sorry, I wasn't able to say goodbye. "

Renjun couldn't help her heart from clenching when he thought about the loud rumbling of Jeno's stomach. 

Jeno shook his head as he tried to shake the sadness away. "It's alright, " he said. "At least, I found you now."

Right. He found her. He found her and he was able to save her from death. What a very romantic reunion. 

It finally made sense as to why Jeno was risking his position in the gang in order to protect her, by pretending to date her. The two of them had a history together. A history that could evolve to something more. 

"Renjun, " Jeno called her as he sat on the bed next to her. "I have something really important to tell you ever since middle school. "

Jeno took her hands with his own and placed them against her cheeks. 

"Renjun, I—"

There was a loud thud heard from the next room, and Jeno and her jumped in surprise at the same time. 

"What's happening? " she asked nervously. 

Jeno looked annoyed. "Nothing! " he placed his palm on her cheeks in order to make her look at him. "Renjun, ever since middle school, I —"

Another thud, followed by the sound of slapping. 

"Are they killing each other? "

Jeno shook his head, looking like he's second's away from crying in frustration. "Don't mind them. Renjun, I—"

A moan was heard from the other room, followed by the loud sound of the bed creaking. 

Okay, so they're definitely not killing each other. 

"Renjun, I love—"

"Oh gosh, Mark, don't stop! "

"— your sandwich. "

"My… what? "

Jeno finally completed his transformation into a tomato, and he covered his face with his own hands. 

"You love… my sandwich? " she asked, just to be sure. Jeno nodded. 

Wow. That was so… disappointing. 

The room fell into an awkward silence save for the background porn music that the other room was generously providing. 

"O…kay, " she said after a while. "Want me to give you my recipe? "

Jeno nodded. "Thank you. "

Renjun cleared her throat. "So, how are we going to sleep? "

Jeno's eyes became wide and alert. "You can take the bed! Of course, we can't share! I mean, you have a boyfriend! Not like I would sleep with you if you don't have one. I mean, sleeping! Like just sleeping! Normal sleeping! I swear, I never thought of you that way! "

"Jeno, " she said as she held her palm up. "It's fine. I understand. "

It's not like he needed to repeat over and over again to Renjun that he didn't find her sexually appealing. She got it. He loved her sandwich. 

"Right, so uhm, the bathroom is in the furthest left across the hall. You might want to change into something comfortable? "

Renjun nodded. Right. Maybe a shower would help calm her very disappointed heart. 

By the time that she returned inside the room, Jeno was already fast asleep on the futon on the floor. Thankfully, the sound from the other room died down as well. 

Renjun climb up on the bed and stared at the empty white ceiling. 

This day had been…interesting. She had been caught up in a crime scene and she ended up being kidnapped, only to be reunited with a long time friend whom she recently developed a crush on. 

What a day. 

It couldn't get any worse, right? 

●●●

Renjun woke up to the sound of people bickering. 

"Should we really be invading their privacy like this? Tae-tae told me that as parents, we should learn when to let go. "

"Oh, shut up this is fun! I still couldn't shake the memory of the priceless look on Mark's face when Johnny and I first caught him and Haechan. Besides, which parent didn't embarrass their child at least once in a while? "

"Tae-tae? " 

"We'll Tae-tae isn't here, so we're going to have fun. Hurry Doie, open that door! "

"Huh? Why aren't they sleeping together? "

"Because I raised my son better than the four… five of you raised yours!"

"Boring. "

"Is this her? "

"Yes, I met her last night. Kinda cute, right? "

"She's not special at all. "

"Aren't you just being the jealous mother who despises her daughter-in-law? Having a daughter-in-law is nice. Tae-tae thinks so. "

"Haechan is so not nice! "

"Doie move, I want to look at her, too!"

Renjun furrowed her eyebrows. Was she dreaming? Slowly, she began to open her eyes. 

"Oh no, we woke her up! "

Renjun blinked a couple of times before her vision cleared, but it took her another couple of seconds before she realized what she was seeing. 

Three people were crowding up on her that early in the morning. One of them, the one who looked like an angry, and very crossed bunny had his face mere inches away from her own.

She screamed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated the ratings, just to be safe, and I updated the tags because the draft I have for this isn't anymore as light as I though it would be. Lol.
> 
> Not story related, but if you're reading this story, wherever you are, please stay safe. The world is such a scary place right now, but I believe that this, too, shall pass. 
> 
> Take care!

"What are you screaming for? " the angry looking bunny asked Renjun, his scowl deepening as he spoke, although he was kind enough to at least give her space by stepping away. 

Renjun abruptly sat up on the bed and rested her back on the wall, before scanning the room for the rest of the intruders. Renjun only recognized one of them — Jungwoo — whom Renjun had already met last night. Yet, despite being the only familiar person among the three, Renjun couldn't help but be wary of him as well. Hadn't he casually asked last night if he could extract her internal organ? At least just one kidney? 

"Good morning! " Jungwoo greeted with a short wave. "Did you get a good night sleep? "

I did. The porn soundtrack from the next room was a good lullaby, and waking up to three people crowding up on my face was a good way to start a morning. 

Renjun caught herself before she could sass the people around her. That wouldn't have been a good idea considering that she was, one, out numbered, and two, in a gang's territory. Instead, she just nodded awkwardly and thanked her previous part time job for teaching her how to fake customer service smile. 

Her eyes traveled to the other person, the last one aside from from Jungwoo and the angry bunny. The first thing that he noticed was the amount of piercings he have on his ear, which looked a little painful in Renjun's opinion. That, and the fact that he seemed to find the situation hilarious, Renjun couldn't relate. 

"Told you, you're ugly, Doie, " earrings guy said to bunny guy, in between gasps of air, while wiping the tears in his eyes with his fingers. 

The bunny — or Doie according to earrings guy— directed his glare at earrings guy, before sticking up his nose in the air, like most snob people would do. "I will not stoop down to your level. Calling other people ugly is so beyond me. "

Earrings guy copied him in a very mocking tone, which earned him a very angry glare from maybe Doie, maybe bunny. Renjun wondered if earrings guy was someone who was really strong that he could take on bunny guy, who was much taller than him, or if he just didn't excel in self preservation aspect. Either way, Renjun made a mental note to not copy him, just to be safe. 

Doie then turned back to her and she instantly straightened up, similar to how she would whenever her high school guidance councilor would pass her by. She couldn't help but feel self conscious as Doyoung continued to stare at her in a very scrutinizing manner. 

Renjun scanned the room for Jeno, in hopes of some saving. She badly needed one, and she felt exactly like how a damsel in distress would while cornered by the bad witch. Doie didn't look like a bad witch to her, but that was beyond the point. 

Her knight in shining armor, however, was without an armor. He was, instead, wrapped inside a very warm blanket that's miraculously making him immune to the bickering, cackling and screaming. He was sleeping peacefully through it all. 

Wow.

What a talent. 

"Breakfast will be served in ten minutes, ground floor, dining room." Doie said, presumably to her, causing her to look up to him, again. Doie made one last eye contact before frowning, and finally turning around to exit the room with a loud bang. Renjun winced. 

"He means, come down before the food gets cold," Jungwoo kindly translated to her. 

"He means, come down before we ran out of food," earrings guy corrected with a snort. "Everyone in this house are pigs, excluding myself, of course. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Ten by the way. " he said before extending his hand to her. 

You look really ten to me, she almost blurted out, before realizing that making fun of other people's height was rude and, not to mention, dangerous considering her situation. 

"Renjun, " she introduced herself while accepting his hand. 

"I've been told," Ten replied. "Who would have thought that Jeno could land himself a cute girlfriend?" He said, looking at her appreciatively. "Are you sure you're not just pretending to be Jeno's girlfriend? "

Renjun choked on air. 

"Ten don't tease her, " Jungwoo warned. "It's rude. "

It's also rude to talk to people about wanting to extract their organs, but hey, nobody's calling him out on it, so why would Renjun? 

Ten rolled his eyes. "Sorry about Doyoung, by the way. That's the product of not getting laid since creation."

"Ten! " Jungwoo reprimanded, again. 

Who's Doyoung, by the way? Was Doyoung and Doie just the same? Right, that might have been the case. 

"What?" Ten asked sounding deeply offended. "I'm just letting them know that they needed to get laid, or else they'll be like Doie. Jeno shouldn't follow his footsteps. Jeno needs to get laid. "

Renjun blushed, and her thoughts instantly went to places where it shouldn't be. She shouldn't be thinking about doing those things with a "friend, especially not with a "friend" who only loved her sandwich.

Jungwoo huffed before crossing his arms. Even when he's annoyed, he still somehow managed to look kind and soft hearted. Maybe Renjun was judging him wrongly? Maybe his desire to extract someone's internal organ was just a mood?

"So, breakfast, " Jungwoo turned to her, annoyed expression immediately transforming in a cheerful one. "You might want to come and join us? My boyfriend made breakfast before he left. He makes the best pancake in the world! Highly recommended."

Renjun imagined Jaehyun, the semi silver, semi blue haired male, wearing an apron while flipping pancakes. Wow. That's just… the epitome of perfect boyfriend. She instantly missed Jaemin. He made the best pancakes, too. She wondered when she would be able to see him and eat his pancakes, again. Would she be able to leave this headquarter, ever? 

She sighed. Of course, having been given a chance to be close to Jeno, and reuniting with her only middle school friend was nice, and not to mention, (fake) dating him was sort of making her heart race. Still, she had another boyfriend who's probably having a mental breakdown because she didn't come home last night. 

Her eyes turned back to Jeno, who's still miraculously sleeping through it all. She wondered if she should wake him up. That seemed to be a good idea since she doubted if it would be safe to have breakfast with his gangmates on her own. Chenle should probably be there as well, but still, she needed a knight in shining armor, and Chenle was just a dolphin with as sonar scream. 

"Oh don't bother waking Jeno up, " Ten instructed her. "It's not as if you can wake him up, either. He sleeps like a rock."

"Besides, " Ten continued with a malicious smile. "Where's the fun in that? How else could we interview the newest member of our family?" 

Renjun coughed nervously again. 

"Ten! " Jungwoo reprimanded him again. 

"Fine, fine! " Ten raised his hand up, rolling his eyes for the nth time that day. 

The two finally left the room to allow her some moment to herself, but not before Ten could warn her not to be late, or else… Renjun didn't find out what the "or else" meant. Jungwoo had already shut the door in front of them. 

So there. Breakfast. Her stomach began to growl. She didn't have anything since the events last night and her digestive system was already rallying inside her body to protest and demand for food. 

Still, the prospect of having breakfast didn't seem appealing at all. She briefly wondered if she could just skip and stay in the safety of Jeno's room as she watch him sleep. But then again, maybe that would be rude. Doyoung had already invited her, albeit passive-aggressively. Skipping would probably not be a good way to impress her (fake) boyfriend's family. 

Besides, staring at someone while they're sleeping was kind of creepy and stalker-ish. Renjun was so not a stalker.

Okay, maybe a little bit, but not too much. 

Renjun got out of the bed hastily, stretching her limbs until she caught another glimpse of Jeno's sleeping form. 

Maybe staring for a bit wouldn't do much harm? Just a little bit? 

She tiptoed before settling down on the futon, to get a better look at Jeno for the first time. Back in middle school, she hadn't gotten the chance to stare at him up close. She hadn't even stared at him for too long, in fear of angering him as well, which was probably the reason why she had trouble recognizing him. She hadn't been able to stare at Jeno this close in the library, too, because she mostly chose to seat at least three tables away from him, so she wouldn't be obvious, and the stolen pictures she had of him were mostly too blurred to be worth zooming. 

Jeno was really handsome, even more up close. His cheekbones were really well defined, like the Greeks have sculpted it. That, along with his thick eyebrows were giving him a very manly aura, which was contradicted by boyish pout of his lips (which Renjun fought the urge to kiss, because no, it's not right to kiss your "friend" without their consent). It was her first time to notice the mole under his right eye, which only added even more charm to his already high level looks. 

Renjun hadn't gotten the opportunity to ask how Jeno had been able to join the gang. She had forgotten to ask the other night, and if she had to blame it on anyone, then she would probably blame it on Mark and Haechan who had distracted them with their very live porn audio stream. 

That and her disappointment over Jeno "loving her sandwich" and him directly stating that he didn't find her sexually attractive. Renjun pouted. 

Fine then! She still have a (real) boyfriend who loved her beyond her sandwich recipe and definitely found her sexually attractive.

Jeno stirred in his sleep. Renjun took that as his cue to leave. 

She took a deep breath as she held the handle of the door. It's just breakfast. Nothing bad would during breakfast, right? 

Hopefully. 

●●●

Renjun gulped as she sat on one of the chairs in the dining room.

It was a normal looking dining room, which wasn't odd because they had a normal living room and a normal bedroom, why wouldn't they have a normal dining room, Scandinavian style? 

Do all gangs have headquarters which looked this home-y? 

Being confused shouldn't be Renjun's top priority, anyway. 

Surviving should be. 

Renjun felt Haechan elbowing her from her left, before whispering. "Keep acting stiff and everyone else will find out. Good luck with your life. "

Well, try to move freely under Doyoung's pointy stares and see if you would survive, she had wanted to reply, before remembering that in this battlefield, or rather in this dining room, Haechan and Mark were her only allies. 

"Try to act natural, like your cousin, " Mark whispered from her right. 

Renjun wanted to huff. She didn't understand how Chenle, yes, that Chenle — the Chenle who thought that following Mark would be a good idea, could act comfortably in front of the other. She couldn't understand how he could sit there and eat pancakes and fall into a comfortable conversation in Mandarin with Kun and Simon, all while Renjun was suffering under the scrutiny of Doyoung, which Renjun couldn't understand as well. 

"Do you really have to glare at your daughter-in-law so much? " Ten asked with an amused smile. "I don't remember being mean to Haechan when she first came her?"

What daughter-in-law? Was Doyoung Jeno's father? And what about Ten? Was he Mark's father? How? 

They didn't look that old. 

Renjun turned to Haechan for some explanation, but the latter only rolled her eyes. "Long story. "

"Jeno isn't married to anyone, yet. And so are Mark and Haechan, " Doyoung said. "And I am not being mean. This is my natural expression." 

Ten rolled his eyes and mimicked him, much to Doyoung's irritation. 

"Let's not scare her, " Simon said from behind his tower of pancake and his overflowing syrup. There was even chocolate syrup on his cheeks, which made him look even more child-like. Was he really their leader? Again how? 

"Right, she looks like the type who's easily frightened," Jaehyun agreed, after chewing a big portion of his pancake. Renjun was slightly wondering why he was here. Wasn't he supposed to have left already like Jungwoo said? Or did she hear it wrongly? 

"Right, " Chenle nodded eagerly, too comfortably, that Renjun feared he would say something he wasn't supposed to. "The first time she and her boyfriend went to a horror house during their visit in China, hyung told me, she cried. I wish I had been there."

Renjun, Mark and Haechan's eyes snapped at Chenle immediately, which caused the latter to realize his mistakes. "Oops. "

"Jeno had never gone to China, " Doyoung exclaimed. 

Renjun opened her mouth, only to close them again. Well, Jeno hadn't been to China with her. She had been with Jaemin, but her too comfortable cousin had already forgotten that they're supposed to be pretending that she was dating Jeno. Jaemin should be out of the topic. 

"Ex-boyfriend, " Chenle reasoned for damage control, sending her an apologetic smile. Great, so now it feels like she pretended to break up with Jaemin as well. Wow. 

"Ahh, " everyone at the table exclaimed. 

"That's alright, " Ten said nonchalantly. "I've had a lot of experiments in the past, until I found my true love. "

"Experiments, " Doyoung repeated meaningfully, which caused the majority to burst into laughter. 

"Hey! " Ten complained. "You're making it seem like I had been a slut. "

"Had been? " Jaehyun asked, making the majority of the people giggle again. 

"Fine, so what, " Ten playfully pouted. "So back to Renjun. "

Renjun gulped when the eyes of the people around her turned to her again. The pancake on her plate, still remained untouched. 

"I still can't believe Jeno's finally dating now, " Kun commented amusedly. "He used to be very introverted. "

Everyone nodded. 

"How in the world did Jeno managed to find the courage to approach you anyway? He's too shy, most of the times, " Simon asked, earning the curiosity of everyone. 

"Right, " Jungwoo asked, placing his palms against his cheeks. "How did Jeno ask you out? Was he romantic? "

Before Renjun could even come up with a lie, Haechan beat her to it. 

"Jeno didn't. Renjun did. "

Renjun turned to the only other girl in the room to send her a questioning look. The other girl only flashed her a mischievous smile. 

"Renjun was actually the one who approached him not the other way around, because she couldn't hold on thirsting on him from afar. "

Renjun elbowed her, hard, only for the other girl let out a soft ouch. "What? It's the truth! You even called him hot nerd, didn't you? "

"Hot nerd? " the entire table echoed. Somewhere in the room, Renjun could hear her cousin snickering. That traitor. 

"Wow, " Ten commented, looking really surprised. "I didn't see you as the dominant type. Looks can really be deceiving. "

"So where did you go on you're first date? " Jungwoo asked dreamily. "Did you kiss on your first date? "

"More importantly, where did you first do it? "

"Ten! " Kun reprimanded. "Isn't that a little too invasive? "

"What? We know everything about Mark and Haechan," Ten argued. "And when I say everything, I mean everything! "

"Hey, how would you know everything? " Mark asked, looking deeply weirded out and surprised. "We don't even tell you anything. "

"You don't need to, " everyone answered at the same time with a laugh. 

"We have ears Mark, " Jaehyun said, shaking his head amusedly. 

"And we have eyes, " Ten said pointing towards Haechan. 

Renjun felt flustered when she looked at the markings on the other girl's collarbones, as well as on parts of her neck above her leather collar. Haechan just shrugged it off nonchalantly. 

"Right, " Mark said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, before paying attention to his breakfast. 

"Do you ever feel bad that you can't date like the normal people because of our…job?" Simon asked after a long moment of silence. Somehow, the question didn't seem to be just directed to her but to everybody else. He sounded a little insecure, and the cute and fond smile he had earlier was replaced with a frown. 

"Here we go again, " Ten snorted, causing everyone to giggle. 

"Do you really have to be dramatic now? " Kun asked, massaging the backoff Simon's neck with his hand.

"But, " Simon wanted to argue, only to be cut off by Doyoung. 

"Simon, you already told us before. We're free to leave. But we're free to stay, as well, and we all chose the latter? "

"Doesn't any of you want a normal life? "

"I'm not normal, " Jungwoo replied. "At least that's what everyone else says. "

Jaehyun patted his boyfriend's shoulder comfortingly before speaking. "Besides, aren't we… a family? "

A family. That was nice. Family wasn't the term Renjun would normally use to describe an organized crime group, but as she was looking at everyone in the room, the word kind of fit. 

"I just wish that this family could have more peaceful moments like this. "

Suddenly, as if Simon's words jinxed their peaceful moment, loud noises from outside were heard. Everyone tensed, and quite instantly, Mark, Jaehyun, Doyoung and Simon, all had a gun pulled out from their pants. 

"Stay here, " Mark said to everyone, but more specifically to Haechan, as he and Jaehyun silently got out of the room to investigate. 

"Everyone, hide! " Simon instructed them as he and Doyoung aimed their gun at the door, in case of intruders. 

Renjun was lost on what to do, until she remembered Jeno was still on his room, all alone. She almost ran towards the door, only to be held back by Haechan. 

"Where the fuck are you going? " she asked Renjun, angrily. 

"Jeno! " she answered, unable to say anything other than his name. 

"Don't be stupid! Jeno can handle himself, we on the other hand are useless. The only way we can help is to get out of the way. "

Renjun felt herself being dragged away by Haechan, towards the kitchen, where Chenle, Kun, Jungwoo and Ten had been already been waiting for them. Ten pulled out an entire knife set from the drawer, before making his post by the door. 

"Who the fuck attacks during breakfast? " Haechan asked, only to be hushed by Kun. Even though the other girl was trying to look annoyed, Renjun could see that she was as nervous as her. 

"Are we going to die? " Chenle asked, only for Kun to ruffle his hair affectionately. 

"No one's going to die, "the older Chinese promised. "They wouldn't let any of us die. "

More noises were heard from outside, but it didn't sound like there was an actual fight. Still, it was safer to assume for the worst and just wait for the other's to call them. 

The door to the dining room opened, and Renjun heard gasps,followed by cursing, and sounds of ceramics and utensils crashing down on the floor. 

Someone knocked on the kitchen door. 

"Guys? " it was Mark. Haechan immediately got up from where she had been sitting, to open the door. She immediately latched herself in him. 

"Calm down, " Mark told her. "I'm fine. Although we have a bit of a situation here. " Mark scanned the kitchen for someone specific. "Jungwoo, hyung, we kind of need you out. "

Jungwoo didn't waste a second going back to the dining room, only for him to scream in panic when he got there. 

Curiosity overcame everyone else, as all of them rushed towards the dining room. 

There was a person coming who was lying down on the table where all of them had just been having breakfast on a while ago. People were already crowding around him in panic hence Renjun could faintly get a glimpse of the person. 

"Everyone move! " Jungwoo ordered, causing everyone to disperse. 

That's when Renjun got a glimpse of the person on the table, and it didn't take her long to recognize him. 

Because she recognized him. She knew him. 

Only, she had only seen him before in an ice cream shop with his uniform on, and not lying half alive on the table, with a hole on his stomach. 

The person was no other than Lee Taeyong — or Fairy Guy — the person Chenle had been crushing on. 

●●●

"Jie, do you think we should join a gang? " 

Renjun looked at the cab driver who was thankfully not paying their conversation any mind, before turning to Chenle, who covered his mouth in realization. Renjun shuffled closely to her cousin. 

"We don't look like we could be part of a gang, Chenle, " She said in hushed voice. 

"So did Taeyong, " Chenle replied. "And yet, you've seen him. He's actually one of them, and he looked hot. "

Renjun grimaced. She was pretty sure that Taeyong was cold when they left him, considering how pale he looked, and not to mention, the amount of blood he could have lost. Still, they were reassured that he would survive before being send off. 

She hadn't been able to say goodbye to Jeno, because everyone was in hurry to send them away. They promised her, however, that Jeno would find a way to contact her. 

"What are you going to tell Jaemin hyung? "

Renjun wished she knew how to answer Chenle. 

Simon had asked the two of them not to tell a single soul about what they knew, or else, they would put the gang, themselves, and the other who would know in danger. Which meant, she couldn't tell Jaemin the truth. 

The problem was, she had never lied to Jaemin, and their relationship was mostly built on trust and communication. It felt wrong to suddenly lie to him, but it also felt wrong to involve him in something as big as this. 

So there. That's the problem. What explanation should she give to her boyfriend, who probably didn't even have an ounce of sleep waiting for her? 

The cab came into a stop right in front of the apartment where she and her boyfriend lived. Chenle wished her luck, and quite frankly, she felt like she would need a lot of them. 

Renjun made it inside the building, still hadn't formulate a single plausible explanation. She was about to press the button on the elevator when it opened to reveal the very person she didn't know how to face. 

His blonde hair with blue bangs was a dry mess, like he didn't bother applying hair treatment for that day, very much unlike him. Even his shoe laces weren't tied properly in his hurry. 

They met each other's gaze, and it didn't take long before the person opened his mouth wide in both surprise and relief. He immediately pulled her inside the elevator and enveloped her in a bone crushing hug. 

●●●

"So, " Jaemin said as he finished drying Renjun's hair with a towel. Renjun move from the ground to the bed where Jaemin followed her with a brush in hand. "Will you tell me now what happened last night? Aside from you were with Chenle and that you lost your phone I mean."

Renjun had made it through the morning avoiding Jaemin's question under the guise of hurrying for their respective classes. Jaemin, being the understanding boyfriend that he was, let her off the hook easily, especially after considering that she was in fact alive, and wasn't one of the three bodies found in the river bank, which he had been in the rush to see at the morgue. Renjun definitely had an idea which three bodies those were, and she was quite sure that no, none of them was a girl, and none of them looked like her. What she didn't have an idea about was how they ended up being found in the river and not in that dark and empty alley. 

"You know I wouldn't get mad or anything right? " Jaemin said as he smoothed out the tangles of her hair. She began chewing her cheeks as she tried to formulate a good way to tell Jaemin what happened, without exposing the people she just met recently, and thus endangering Jaemin's life. 

"Chenle texted me this afternoon, asking me if everything is alright between us. I'm confused. Why wouldn't it be? So… what happened? "

Renjun almost face palmed. Trust Chenle to make her situation even more difficult. 

"I met up with Jeno, " she said, almost immediately regretting that she did, because Jaemin will start asking even more questions. 

Jaemin stopped brushing her hair immediately. He moved around the bed until she's facing him. "Really? " he asked, her (not so small) crush on Jeno was definitely not a secret to her boyfriend. "What happened after that? Any development? Did you two kiss? "

Jaemin fired questions after questions, a little too excited than what could be deemed normal by others. Renjun couldn't help but to be reminded of how lucky she was to have Jaemin. 

Any other boyfriend would probably be disturbed at the fact that their girlfriend was meeting another person during the night. Moreover, they would definitely not be thrilled at the thought of their girlfriend kissing another guy. 

Renjun knew, because she made a mistake of being in a relationship with those kinds of guys before. They made her feel like she was a very vile creature for having romantic feelings for more than just one person. Needless to say, all those relationships ended badly and left her with a very bad name. 

Then she met Jaemin, sweet and caring Jaemin, who Renjun immediately understood that love, sometimes, could not be exclusively given to just one person, and that loving more than one person would not diminish the amount of love you have for the other. He was the best boyfriend Renjun ever had. 

"Injunnie? " Jaemin poked her cheek with his pointer finger to pull her out of her thoughts. "Did you? "

Renjun shook her head. 

"Oh, " Jaemin looked disappointed on her behalf. "Why not? "

"Do you know that he's actually a friend of mine way back it middle school? "

Renjun proceeded to tell him about Jeno and their history together. 

The bullying. 

The Acacia tree. 

The free sandwich. 

It seemed to have been a very entertaining story for her boyfriend, as he listened intently. 

"That's… kinda sad. I mean, I'm glad because you found a friend during that time, but I am also sad because you had to part ways with him. Still, I'm glad that you are able to meet him again. So what happened next? " Jaemin asked excitedly. 

"We talked, " she answered, intentionally leaving her sentences hanging. 

"And? "

"He told me that since middle school, he…"

"He what? Come on, say it! "

"He loves…"

"He loves? "

"…my sandwich. "

"Your what? " Jaemin exclaimed, sounding as disappointed as she had been when she heard it herself. 

"Yes. He loves my sandwich. "

Jaemin fell down on the mattress of the bed with a thud, groaning in frustration. "Are you sure that 'sandwich' wasn't some secret code for boobs or butt? "

Renjun rolled her eyes before lying down next to her boyfriend. "What makes you think that? "

"Because I love your boobs and your butt? "

Renjun made a fake disgusted face. 

"So, anything else happened after that? " Jaemin asked again still enthusiastic about the topic. 

"We slept on the same room. "

Jaemin's eyes brightened up again. "And? "

"That's it, " she replied nonchalantly. 

"What do you mean, that's it? "

"He slept on the floor because his 'father' raised him well. "

"Oh, " Jaemin looked baffled for second before asking another question again. "Wait, are you saying that my parents didn't raise me well because we ended up on the same bed after our first meeting? "

"Maybe? " she teased, leading to Jaemin sending her his notorious puppy eyes. "Not like I'm complaining, though. "

Jaemin smirked, moving a little more closer. "You're not? "

She shook her head as she gave him a knowing smile. 

"Good then, " he said as his hand began moving past the hem of her shirt, rubbing on her waist up and down. 

Renjun didn't hesitate to make the first move. She immediately closed the distance between their lips by pulling Jaemin by the nape, licking and sucking in the latter's mouth as his hand continued travelling to where Renjun wanted them to be. 

Jaemin's hand rested on her mound before giving it a firm squeeze, earning him a moan from Renjun. 

"I see that you like it that I like your boobs so much," Jaemin said after breaking their kiss only to push her on her back. 

Renjun rolled her eyes. "Jaemin, I swear, if you don't —"

Jaemin cut her off by placing his mouth on hers again, this time dominating the kiss as he explore Renjun's mouth with her tongue. Her shirt was already push way above her breast as Jaemin's thumb began playing with her nipples. She could feel him grounding his manhood on her core and she couldn't help but meet his actions. 

Suddenly, just when she was halfway through removing Jaemin's shirt, and just when the real action was about to start, someone decided to ruin the moment by knocking on their door. 

"It's just Chenle, " She said, pulling Jaemin's shirt above his head. "If we pretend not to hear him, he would just go away. "

Jaemin resumed kissed her neck again, only for the person outside knock even harder. 

"It could be an emergency, " Jaemin suggested, pulling away once again. 

"I am the emergency !" She said before kissing Jaemin again. 

The knock grew even louder. 

"Fuck it! " She exclaimed, pushing Jaemin to the side. She pulled down her shirt before angrily walking towards the door, having all the intention to tell her cousin the reason why he shouldn't show up in the middle of the night. 

Renjun angrily opened the door, automatically screaming on the person behind it. 

"What the fuck, Chenle? Don't you know we're busy? "

Except the person behind the door wasn't Chenle at all. He made a few steps back before looking at her with wide eyes, too shock at her outburst. Then his eyes travelled lower than where her face was, and it took Renjun a few seconds to realized what he was staring at. When she did, she immediately covered her chest with her arms and only then had the person realized that he was, in fact, staring. He guiltily looked her in the eyes the the familiar crimson color bloomed against his skin again. 

Just when he was about to open his mouth and defend himself, Renjun beat him to it. 

"What are you doing here? " she exclaimed before slamming the door shut.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you all?
> 
> Stay healthy, stay safe!

"What a wonderful night to spend with equally wonderful people, " Jaemin muttered before pressing a kiss on Renjun forehead. He pulled her by the waist to close their distance until not much space was between them. "Goodnight, Injunnie! Sweet dreams!"

"Goodnight Jaem, " Renjun replied before nuzzling her face on the crook of his neck. Her eyes already droopy after a long day which had been extended by a sudden visitor. 

Speaking of visitor. 

Jaemin propped himself up on the bed to take a glance on the person lying on Renjun's other side. "Good night, Jeno. Sweet dreams! "

The person on Renjun's other side shifted awkwardly on the bed, shuffling further away from her until he was on the verge of falling off the bed. He cleared his throat before replying, but even after doing so, his voice still cracked nervously as he spoke. 

"Uhm… goodnight." he said in a really small voice. Renjun couldn't see him with her back turned against him, but she's guessing that he's already as red as the poinsettias during winter. 

"Are you sure you don't want to cuddle? " Jaemin asked again. Renjun could actually hear the pout in his voice, disappointed at the fact that Jeno had turned down his offer. It was kind of funny to watch. Jaemin nonchalantly offering to cuddle, which lead to Jeno turning into a blabbering mess, before finally finding the right words to decline the sudden offer. 

Jeno squeaked like a mouse. Renjun smiled amusedly despite pinching her boyfriend on his arms, signalling him to stop traumatizing their sudden guest, when he was already traumatized by sharing the same bed with the two of them. 

They lived in a studio type apartment with only one bed, and no extra futon. The couch was too small to fit Jeno, anyway, so they had no choice but to make room for him in their bed. 

Renjun's cheeks heated up at the memory of what she and her boyfriend had been doing in that bed before Jeno showed up in front of their door. She couldn't help but let her thoughts travel to where they shouldn't go. She had her boyfriend and her crush on the same bed with her. What more interesting things could happen? 

Bad Renjun! She scolded herself. She reminded herself of the real reason why Jeno was in their apartment in the first place. 

When Renjun had opened the door, clearly annoyed at the interruption of a very interesting moment, she hadn't expected to see Jeno out there. More over, she hadn't expected him to shamelessly gawk at her still hard nipples which were visible through the fabric of her shirt. But that's beyond the point. (She immediately slammed the door in front of him. When she had calm down from the surprise and embarassment, thankfully, she still had the mind and the decency to put on one of Jaemin's discarded sweatshirts before opening the door once again. Jeno had apologized to her then. He said that he didn't really mean to stare, which was, for some reason, was very disappointing for her.) 

The point was, Haechan had almost been kidnap while she was buying something in Seven Eleven and that Jeno was worried that something bad could happen to her as well. 

How? 

Like, less that twenty four hours had passed since Renjun had associated herself with the gang. How could she be in danger so early? 

But apparently, gangs had a fast means of gathering information among each other, so by the time that Renjun left their hide out, the other nearby gangs were already aware that one of them was dating and astronomy major from Seoul University. 

Why would they need such information? 

For future use as blackmail. 

So in less than twenty-four hours, Renjun's life swiftly evolved from being a normal and boring university student, to a murder witness. From then on, she evolved to be her crush's fake girlfriend (the best thing that had happened in that twenty-four hours, if she was being honest) which in return turned her into a blackmail material. 

Someone please tell her that she's dreaming! 

No? 

O…kay. 

"How is Haechan? " She asked, after closing the door behind her. Even though she hadn't been that close to her in the short period of time that they met, and even though she was still pretty much traumatized by noises that she and Mark had shamelessly provided for her and Jeno, Haechan still had played a role in creating the plan to ensure that she and Chenle would still live. She would be kind of sad if something bad happened to her. 

Just a little bit sad. 

"She's fine, " Jeno reassured her. "Just a few cuts and bruises, but Mark-hyung already locked her up in their room for safety measure, " Jeno answered without batting and eye, like he hadn't talked about locking someone up, like it wasn't something against the law.

Oh right. Gangsters. 

"Do you really think that someone might try to kidnap me, as well? " she asked. It wasn't like she was one of them or anything. Of what use could she be? 

Oh, right. Blackmail material. 

"We're dating, " Jeno answered before realizing what he just said. He turned as red as the shade of lipstick Renjun's terror professor had been wearing since the beginning of the semester. "I mean fake dating! We're not dating for real, I mean, that would be kind of impossible, right? Like —"

"Jeno, " she said while holding up her palm in the air. "It's okay. "

Renjun got it. He didn't have to remind her over and over again that he wouldn't date her for real. It kind of hurt to be rejected even before asking. 

"Right, " Jeno said before trying to calm himself with deep breaths. "We're fake dating, and although you're not involved with any of our businesses yet, our enemies might still come after you. Haechan doesn't even participate in what we do, but they still decided to go after her. Besides, it's a common plan of action to go after the gangs unsuspecting love ones since they wouldn't get a chance. "

Renjun shivered. The thought the she had involved herself into something really dangerous was just starting to sink in. 

What did she get herself into? 

What did Chenle got them into? 

Speaking of. 

"How about Chenle? " she asked. She hadn't seen her cousin the entire day after parting ways with him earlier, and as much as she thought that he had been the reason for such complicated situation, she still couldn't bear the thought of him being taken by mask men into a very stinky amd cockroach filled warehouse. Chenle hated cockroaches. He wouldn't survive. 

"The possibility of him being targeted is quite low because his only clear connection to us is you. Still, low doesn't mean zero so just to make sure, Kun-hyung was already set out on looking out for him. In fact, Kun-hyung already sent me a message, informing me that Chenle volunteered to go back to the hide out. Kun-hyung even noted that he looked excited, though I think he's mistaking."

Renjun fought the urge to roll her eyes. She had an idea as to why Chenle was excited to go back to the gang's hide out. 

So Chenle would be presumably safe, there's no need for her to worry. 

Except for one thing. 

"So, how do you plan on making sure that I'll be safe? "

"I was thinking about taking you back to the hide out with me. "

Oh. To the hide out. So that was the plan. 

"Sorry, " Jeno told her looking genuinely guilty about the trouble. "I know this might be a little too much. We're not really dating, and I understand that being in the same space with people like us who aren't law abiding citizens can be too frightening, but I swear, I just want you to be safe. After this, you wouldn't have to endure my presence and my family's presence in your life again. "

Renjun wasn't sure what Jeno was talking about. That wasn't her primary concern. Sure, initially she had been cautious of Jeno's gang, but after having breakfast with them and surviving, she was pretty sure that they weren't as scary as the society and authority made them out to be. 

That was surely not what was troubling her. 

Her thoughts immediately travelled back to her boyfriend who was patiently waiting for her inside the door, most probably suffering from blue balls after Renjun had left him hanging. Leaving with Jeno meant that she would have to keep secrets with him, and not to mention, worry again. Besides, Renjun wasn't sure how long she would have to stay in their hide out. Wouldn't that means that she wouldn't be able to spend time with Jaemin for a while? 

That's kind of sad. 

Jaemin would be sad. 

Renjun didn't want him to be sad. 

Just as when she was on the verge of having a mental breakdown over having to decide whether to leave Jaemin for a few days or to stay with him and risk getting herself kidnapped, the door opened behind her. 

"Renjun? " Jaemin pushed half of his still shirtless body out if the door. "What's taking you so long? "

Jeno's eyes grew wide as he met her boyfriend for the first time. The said boyfriend's eyes traveled to the person she was talking to. His eyes widen in recognition. Of course he recognized him. He recognized him from the stolen photos Renjun had of him in her phone. 

He smiled knowingly at Renjun before turning back to Jeno again. "Hey, aren't you her friend from middle school? "

To make the story short, Renjun told Jaemin that Jeno had been kicked out of his dorm, much to Jeno's surprise and confusion, and to Jaemin's immediate pity. Needless to say, Jaemin, her kind and understanding boyfriend, who also happened to be very supportive of her crush on Jeno, had no problem offering their already small apartment to him, at least until he found a new house to live in. (which would last until the threat of kidnapping dies down.) 

So that's how they ended up in bed together. It was awkward and not how Renjun had imagined it would be when she had just been crushing on Jeno from afar and not yet fake dating him. 

She briefly wondered how long this complicated situation was going to last. How long could she continue to fake date Jeno? How long could she continue hide to Jaemin about her sudden connection to a gang? 

She sighed as she fisted the shirt of her boyfriend to pull him impossibly closer. Maybe thing wouldn't be as bad as it already was? 

●●●

Renjun pressed her nose on her boyfriend's neck another time, inhaling the spicy scent which was very different to what Renjun was used to smelling on him. He was fragrant of course, just differently fragrant. Different but not unwelcome. 

Renjun decided to climb on top of him, only for Jaemin to tense up. Weird? Usually, Jaemin was the more cuddly one between them, and normally, he wouldn't waste another time before wrapping his arms around her waist. Was he not feeling well? 

Never mind, she thought as she sleepily pressed kisses on his neck. Jaemin responded by whimpering like a puppy. 

Renjun blindly search for her boyfriend's arms, to rub them soothingly. Weird. Since when did Jaemin's biceps became that hard? Sure, Jaemin wasn't skin and bones, but she never remembered him to be this buff before. 

"…smile! "

She heard her boyfriend saying, although his voice didn't come from where Renjun expecting it would be. It certainly didn't come from the person she was lying on. 

"Come on, Jeno, smile. Just once! "

Wait… Jeno? 

Renjun snapped her eyes open, just in time for the flash of the camera to go off. 

"There! " Jaemin exclaimed. Renjun turned away from the person she was lying on, to see Jaemin sitting own on the couch while scrutinizing the photo he had taken on his camera. "Perfect shot! "

Wait. So if Jaemin was there, then who the fuck was she lying on? 

Slowly, her eyes travelled back to the person she was lying on, only to immediately move furthest away from him on the bed. 

Jeno looked like every blood in his boy had rushed to his face. He looked like he's seconds away from combusting had Renjun not return to her senses fast enough. 

Jeno immediately sat up from the bed before switching his gaze between her and her boyfriend. 

"I… go… bathroom, " he said between pants. He rushed to his feet and headed straight to the bathroom, only to stumble on his own a good couple of times. 

Renjun turned back to her boyfriend who was smiling amusedly at her. She pouted as she rubbed her face in an annoyed manner. "What did you do? "

Jaemin gasped dramatically before raising his hands up in the air. "I didn't do anything! I only got up to make breakfast and then I saw you already climbing on top of him. "

"Why didn't you stop me? "

"I thought you were making a move on him. "

"Ssh! " she reprimanded, cautiously searching for any sign of Jeno coming out of the bathroom. "You don't have to be loud about it. "

Jaemin only smiled cheekily at her before taking a quick glance of the photo he had just taken. "Oh you look cute. Just two bestfriends platonically hugging each other. "

Renjun got up from the bed. She grumbled to herself as she walked up to Jaemin to snatch the camera from his hand. 

She choked on her own spit upon getting a good look at the picture, before glaring at Jaemin who looked like he was close to losing air from cackling too much. 

Renjun grimaced upon looking at the photo one more time. Nothing in the photo looked platonic at all. 

Renjun felt her face heating up again upon seeing herself sprawled up on top of Jeno while kissing his neck. It didn't help that the sweatshirt and inner shirt that she was wearing hiked up to reveal her trimmed waist, nor the fact that Jeno's crotched seemed perfectly centered between her legs. 

There's no way that it looked platonic to her. 

Renjun zoomed the camera on Jeno's face and she couldn't help herself from laughing. Jeno looked torn between screaming and crying. 

Poor Jeno. He's probably already traumatized by sleeping next to Mark and Haechan's room, but now, he's already scarred for life because of Renjun. 

No wonder he was taking too long in the bathroom. 

Renjun shook her head before placing the camera down on the coffee table. She made a mental note to apologize to Jeno for molesting him in her sleep. 

"Renjun, " Jaemin called her softly, before pulling her by the hand to let her sit on his lap. 

"Hmm? " Jaemin looked at her with puppy eyes before he gave Renjun that look — that look that he gave whenever he knew that Renjun was hiding something from. 

"Buntaengi is inside the basketball team's locker room. I bribed Chenle to hide him. "

Jaemin blinked at her for a couple of times. "So that's why I couldn't find him. But that's not what I want to talk about. Renjun, I know you're hiding something else aside from Buntaengie. "

Renjun swallowed her own spit. She could feel her entire mouth drying up as Jaemin continued to give her a knowing look. 

Uh oh. This was bad. What did Jaemin know? He wasn't supposed to know anything! He wasn't supposed to be in danger like Renjun herself. 

Renjun opened her mouth to deny everything, about the murder she had witnessed, about the gang — about everything! She was halfway through the first syllable when Jaemin beat her to it. 

"You know that you can tell me if you're also dating Jeno, right? You know that I will not get mad. "

"Jaem, I swear I— wait, what? '

"You're dating him, " Jaemin repeated, and Renjun only blinked at him in response. "Wait, aren't you? "

"First of all, " she said placing her hands on top of Jaemin's shoulder to stop herself from tumbling backwards. " What makes you say that? "

"We'll he's looking at you the way I do, and he's looking at me like he wanted to punch me. "

"He what? "

Jaemin nodded to affirm his observation, before placing his hands on Renjun's cheeks and looking at her tenderly. "Injunnie, you know that I love you, right? "

She nodded. 

"And you know that I'll understand if you decide to date another person. We talked about this before, about you being polyamorous, about me being bisexual, and about me taking your used panty in class during exams as lucky charm. "

"We did not talk about the last, Na Jaemin! "

"Shh, " Jaemin hushed her by placing a finger upon her lips. "That's not the point. The point is, whatever it is, you know that I'll always support you and understand you, because I love you. Who knows? Maybe together, we can convince Jeno that by loving me, you're love for him doesn't diminish. Maybe then, he'll stop glaring at me like he wants to kill me. "

Renjun's eyes softened as she continued to stare at her boyfriend. 

Jaemin was probably one of the most precious creatures in the world, and he's human so that was saying a lot. He's special. So special that Renjun didn't know how she was able to end up dating him. 

Again, her conscience began chewing her up for keeping a secret, when Jaemin always reassured her that there's nothing that he couldn't understand.

There was absolutely no doubt thar he would understand when Renjun told him the real circumstances that lead to her first real interaction with Jeno (not counting the years they spent in middle school), and there's no doubt that Jaemin would also be able to understand Jeno's involvement in the gang. Heck, he could even empathize with Lelouch and Light, so what's gonna stop him from empathizing with Jeno who's probably just fighting social injustice? 

The problem was not his capacity to understand, but Renjun's reluctance to get him involved into something dangerous. If Haechan had been almost kidnapped, and both Chenle and herself were in danger of being abducted as well, then sure enough, the same danger would follow Jaemin if he ended up knowing anything. 

It wasn't like she was keeping a secret for her own sake. She was doing it for Jaemin. 

Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty, when Jaemin looked down disappointedly, dejected that Renjun didn't want to tell him the truth. 

Renjun sighed. Just a little bit. She'll tell him just a little bit. 

"Jaemin, I have something important to tell you. "

Jaemin looked up to meet her gaze again before nodding at her encouragingly. 

"Jaemin… you see… Jeno and I… we're fake dating. "

Jaemin gave her a satisfied smile. "You see, that wasn't so bad. It's not like I'm going to be mad if I find out that — wait, you're what? "  
●●●

Renjun huffed a little too loudly, causing the people nearby to look at her weirdly. They were in the library, and everyone was bound to be bothered by the slightest sound, and that had been the fifth time that Renjun huffed noisily, effectively distracting everyone else from their studies. 

Still, she couldn't help it as she huffed for the sixth time. The group of students on the nearby table, stood up to leave, but not before giving her a death glare. 

She didn't care. 

Something inside was bothering her. 

"Are you constipated or something? " Chenle asked from beside her, before grabbing a fistful of chips and putting them inside his mouth. 

Renjun glared. "No, I am not. And why do you have chips with you? " She pointed at the "no food allowed" signage. Chenle shrugged, before flipping the pages of The Taming of the Shrew with his cheesy fingers. Renjun grimaced. 

"Chips aren't allowed in the hide out, because they're not healthy," Chenle commented. "Which is weird, because Kun-ge doesn't hesitate to give me sweets anytime. Not that I'm complaining, though."

Right. It wasn't only Renjun who needed precautionary measures after the almost kidnapping that Haechan went through. Chenle, too. The latter, however, didn't seem to be having a hard time like her. 

"How are you taking this so well? " she asked, absentmindedly flipping the pages of the astronomy book on the table. Nothing was getting through her head, which was pretty much preoccupied by Jaemin and Jeno. 

"I get to eat my favorite brand of sweets anytime I want, plus, I get to see Taeyong everyday. He's actually recovering fast by the way. I swear, he's really a fairy! " Chenle said dreamily. " So what more can I ask for? I mean, sure it's unfortunate that someone out there might be planning to kidnap us, but at least, I get to have a chance to live with Taeyong. Besides, do you know that he's not dating Mark Lee? They're actually like brothers, I found out later, although according to Kun-ge, Taeyong's relationship status is complicated. Do you think I'll have a chance because it's complicated? "

Renjun rolled her eyes. 

Wasn't it kind of unfair that she's the one who's suffering more, even though it was Chenle who instigated all of this, in the first place? 

"I don't understand what the problem is, " Chenle said before closing the book, but not before folding the page where he last finished reading. Poor book. "You're dating your boyfriend and your crush. What more could you ask for? "

"Fake dating, " she corrected. "It's not like I'm dating Jeno for real. "

"So that's the problem? "

"Yes, no, maybe? " she answered before sighing. "I'm keeping secrets from Jaemin, and I'm used to telling him everything. "

"Everything? "

"Everything. "

From the color of her underwear to the names of the people she found attractive. They don't keep secrets, and quite frankly, keeping secrets from him felt like… cheating. 

As far as Jaemin was concerned, Renjun was fake dating Jeno, because nerd boy was being teased by his school mates for not having a girlfriend, and her, being the good friend that she was, decided to help him by pretending to be her girlfriend. She swore, she hadn't lied to Jaemin like that before, and that's what's bothering her. She felt guilty. 

"Then, why don't you just tell him? "

Renjun rolled her eyes. "Didn't Simon say that no one else should find out, or else they'll be in danger?"

"It's just Jaemin-hyung, " Chenle shrugged. "He's your boyfriend. "

"Simon doesn't know that. The gang doesn't know that. "

"Tell them? "

Renjun rolled her eyes again. Chenle was really smart, but she could be a really slow at times. 

"What am I supposed to tell them? That I have two boyfriends? You do know that for some, that's cheating, right? "

Not everyone could understand that kind of relationship. No one else was able to understood how Renjun could still have romantic feelings for another person when she's already dating someone else. Only Jaemin did. 

"What if they get angry because they think I'm dating Jeno, and then take revenge on Jaemin? "

"You're overthinking, " Chenle told her. "They don't seem like those kind. I know because I live with them. "

For two days, she wanted to emphasize. But that wasn't the point. The point was, nothing good ever came out whenever people found out that Renjun is polyamorous. 

Renjun huffed again. Chenle rolled his eyes. 

"Sucks to be you. "

●●●

Jeno and Kun were already waiting outside of the library when she and Chenle came out. 

"You get to be fetched by your boyfriend, while I get to be fetched by a parental figure like an elementary school student. How unfair is that? "

"Fake boyfriend, " she corrected Chenle, although she made sure that no one else, especially Kun, could hear. 

"Hi, " Jeno greeted her. 

"Hello, " she greeted him back. 

"The two of you are cute, " Kun commented amusedly. "Had I not known that you're already dating for a year, then I would be thinking that you're not dating at all, but instead just two people who have a mutual crush on each other. "

Renjun choked on air, while Jeno flushed nervously. 

Kun wasn't entirely wrong, but he wasn't entirely right either. They're not dating, but they don't have a mutual crush in each other, just Renjun's one-sided crush on Jeno. 

Jaemin coughed nervously. "Hyung, aren't you going yet? " He said to the older. "No one's left on the candy shop aside from the part-timer. He doesn't know about the… transactions. "

"Oh, right, " Kun replied. "We need to hurry," he said before grabbing Chenle by the hand like he was his child. 

"So, anything weird happened today? " Jeno asked her when Kun and Chenle were out of sight. He took her thick books from her hands and carried them for her effortlessly, as they began to walk home. 

"Spell weird, " she said. "Like if some masked men barged in our class to demand for me? "

"There were? " Jeno asked in panic, his hands immediately reaching for her shoulders to inspect her for injuries, causing her books to fall on the ground. 

"Jeno! "

"Sorry! " Jeno replied before picking up her books from the ground. "So, were there? "

Renjun shook her head. "No. Is it even possible for them to come for me in the middle of my class? " she asked nervously. Who in their right mind would attack in the middle of the day? 

Jeno thought for a moment. "Right. I guess I over reacted. It's just that… there's really a lot of people who are after us. "

"Bad guys or good guys? " she asked, nervously looking at everyone they meet in the streets. 

Jeni sighed before answering. "Bad guys. Really bad guys. I know that we don't qualify as the good guys as well, but there are people out there far worse than us. "

"Why are they after you? " she couldn't help but be curious. After all, she's already involved with this. She thought that she also deserved to know a thing or two. "Failed transaction? "

Jeno thought for a moment, they stayed silent as they crossed the street. 

"I can't tell you everything, because knowing more means you'll be in danger even more, and the greater the number of people who knows about our secret, the greater risk there is for us. "

Renjun nodded. Fair enough, she thought. 

"The bad guys, they want… they want something from us. "

"And you couldn't give ig away? "

Jeno shook his head. "We couldn't, or the entire world would be in danger. "

"But if it's dangerous, why can't you just destroy it? " She kept her voice down as they entered the apartment complex where she, Jaemin, and Jeno (temporarily) lived. 

"Because it's also important to us. It will break all of us if we… if we destroy that something. "

Jeno pressed the button on the elevator. 

"Is that the reason why we have to pretend that we're dating? Because your gang is in danger and they needed to be careful? Would they really have killed Chenle and I if we don't pretend that we're dating? "

Jeno turned to her, abruptly. He seemed to want to defend his family immediately, but then he deflated. "We have to do things in order to protect the people we care about. "

Right. Renjun nodded. Weirdly enough, even if she was talking about her life and that of her cousin, that seemed to be an acceptable reasoning. 

"That includes you, because you're important to me, too. "

Renjun's head snapped to look at Jeno, but Jeno's already out of the elevator. Renjun trailed after him, as he walked fast towards their apartment unit. Jeno stopped walking when he was a mere meter away from the door to their unit, causing Renjun to bumped into him. 

"Ouch, " she said, pouting as she rubbed her face. 

Jeno turned back to her, all serious as he looked at her. He took a step forward, causing Renjun to step backwards. What was she suddenly feeling nervous about? 

"Renjun, " Jeno called her, making her heartbeat quicken for unexplainable reason. "Do you remember when I told you that I love your sandwich? "

Renjun rolled her eyes. Of course she still did. That was the biggest let down of the year, at least for her. 

"That's not really what I want to say, " he said, his eyes never leaving Renjun. He licked his lips nervously, causing Renjun to swallow. He looked… enticing. 

"I know that this really shouldn't matter right now, because there are more important things to think about. But I don't know how for how long I could be close to you until we… until we fake break up. "

Right. The fake break up which the two of them were bound to have in the future. Somehow, it felt kind of sad and disappointing, although there's nothing much that Renjun could do about it. She just needed to be thankful that Jeno took the time to pretend to be her boyfriend, just so he could save her and her cousin. 

"I'm not sure as to how long I could be with you, so I'll just grab the opportunity. "

Jeno's hands reached out to cup her cheeks, her books falling to ground again, but this time, Renjun didn't have the time to react to that. 

What she reacted about was how close the distance between their faces suddenly was. Her heart was beating fast, and her throat drying up. She licked her lips nervously, causing Jeno's eyes to focus on them. 

Renjun watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, before his eyes travelled back to her eyes again. 

"Renjun, I—"

"Oh, hi, you're both here, already? " 

Jaemin popped up behind Renjun, causing the two of them to separate immediately. Renjun fanned her face, feeling herself heating up again. 

"Wait, am I interrupting something? " Jaemin asked, wiggling his eyebrows maliciously. 

Jeno returned to his shy persona. He picked up the books that were scattered on the ground before rushing inside the apartment. 

Jaemin smiled at her meaningfully, and Renjun rolled her eyes before trailing after Jeno, wordlessly. 

"What did I do? "


	5. Chapter 5

Renjun's slumber was disturbed by the very much unwelcome sound of guns firing inside their apartment. The noises echoed inside their enclosed space, making Renjun's eyes snapped open. Her body jolted in surprise as worry and fear overcame her. She immediately grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on with the idea of using it as a weapon. She grabbed the pillow, a very fluffy, soft and useless pillow. 

From the bed she observed everything that was happening around her. The shots rang loudly, continuously, along with the loud footsteps of presumably about ten people, who couldn't possibly fit inside their small apartment. 

"Arrgh, they shot me! " Jaemin screamed dramatically. "Jeno, save me! "

"I'm coming, don't worry! " came Jeno's reply, which was followed by the sound of running. 

"Fuck, why are there so many of them? " Jaemin asked in frustration before aiming his gun on the enemies again. 

"Just keep shooting! " Jeno ordered, uncharacteristically sounding domineering, as he rapidly shoot at the enemies. 

"Fuck, I'm shot again! Jeno, help! "

More gunshots were fired. 

"Jeno, I'm going to die! I'm going to die, but you need to survive! You must kill them! You must kill them all! "

"I'm tired of this! " Jeno exclaimed, sounding annoyed and desperate. "I'm going to end this! " he decided before pulling out a grenade from his bag. 

"You can't be serious, Jeno, " Jaemin said nervously. "That's dangerous! "

"We have no other option! "

"No! "

"Just trust me! "

All of the screaming and bickering were then drowned by a really loud explosion brought on by the grenade launch. 

And then it was done. 

The two guys in the room stood up from the floor, their smartphones abandoned on the ground, as they high-fived each other. 

"Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner! " Jaemin cheered victoriously, before receiving the pillow that Renjun had thrown at him. Jeno, too, wasn't safe from her wrath, when another pillow was thrown at his face before he could even try to hide behind Jaemin. 

"Do you guys even know the invention called headset? " she asked them, pretending to be angry. Or maybe she was a little angry over the fact that she woke up thinking they were under attacked… for real… by the enemies Jeno had talked to her about. 

Jeno sat on the floor like a kick puppy, having had the decency to look apologetic. He muttered a soft "sorry" as he presumably exited the game on his phone. Somehow, this immediately made Renjun felt guilty for being angry. Great. So Renjun was already whipped for him. So whipped and he wasn't even his real boyfriend.

On the contrary, Jaemin, on the other hand looked far away from Jeno's kicked puppy demeanor. He was an over-excited puppy who still couldn't contain his energy which had not been fully consumed by the last game he had played. Renjun fell back on the bed as the same pillow she had thrown at her boyfriend was sent back flying on her face. 

"Pillow fight! "

And it turned into a normal evening. 

Renjun screeched as Jaemin jumped on the bed with her, continuously hitting her with a pillow, as the latter's cackling filled their apartment. 

Soon, the pillow fight turned into a tickle fight, when Jaemin had her pinned to the bed, and although she prided herself for not being too ticklish, Jaemin knew her body too much, and he knew just where to touch for her to start squirming. 

"Jaem, I swear, ahh! "

"You're saying something, Injunnie?" Jaemin teased, before jabbing his finger on her side again. 

"Jaemin, please! "

"Please, what? "

"Stop! "

"Or else? "

"Or else, I'll — ahh!!!"

Jaemin jabbed his finger on her side again, but this time, she reacted on impulse. Her elbow collided with his ribs. 

Jaemin tumbled out of the bed and on the floor,with a pained groan. He lied there while gasping for air. 

"Are you okay? " she asked worriedly, as she followed him on the floor, hovering above him to check for injuries. 

Jaemin's face contorted in pain as he continued to gasp for air. Renjun began to panic. She quickly searched for her own phone to call the emergency hotline, only to remember that she still hadn't found the time to get a new one. She slapped her forehead before searching for her boyfriend's clothes for her boyfriend's phone, only for the said boyfriend to sat up and touched her lips with his own. 

Renjun was stupefied. She didn't know how to react, until realization that Jaemin had just played a trick on her overcame her. 

She pulled away to try to playfully scold him, only for Jaemin to claim her lips again, this time, longer than the first time. She sighed before letting her own lips move against her boyfriend. 

When Jaemin pulled away, he gave Renjun his signature smile, which instantly melted all her plans of pretending to be angry. She chuckled. 

"I love you, " Jaemin whispered, placing his nose on Renjun's, giving her an Eskimo kiss. 

"I love — Jeno? "

They both turned to Jeno, after a loud crash echoed in the room, only to see him desperately trying to pick up the contents of his bag, which were scattered on the floor. He looked at them sheepishly, pink tint blooming on his cheeks again. 

Oh, right. Jeno. Jeno was there with them. How could they have forgotten him just like that? Renjun mentally scolded herself for being insensitive and allowing Jaemin to pull her into an impromptu make-out session with an audience present. That was so awkward, both for them and for Jeno. 

When Jeno finished putting back his things in his bag, he immediately scrambled towards the door. He smiled at them awkwardly, shooting them an apologetic look. 

"I need to go, " he reasoned. Renjun wasn't sure if he really had somewhere to go, or if he was just trying to give them privacy, because damn right, they looked like they would really need some privacy. 

"Where are you going?" Jaemin asked, somehow sounding a little too clingy than Renjun expected him to. 

"T-to the uni. I… I need to pass my project to my professor. "

Jaemin looked at the time on their wall clock, before looking at Jeno incredulously. "At eleven in the evening? "

Jeno had looked surprised, and then embarrassed. He was definitely lying but it wasn't like he was going to admit that. He nodded hastily as he waved goodbye to them before disappearing behind the door. 

Jaemin looked at her in bafflement and she just shrugged it off. It wasn't like she could tell Jaemin that Jeno would probably just go back to his gang's hide out because of the awkward and really intimate atmosphere they had given off. 

It wasn't even long before Jaemin's phone rang, indicating a new message received. Her boyfriend smile before reading the message loudly. "Call me in case of emergency. Be safe! From Jenjen."

Jaemin cooed loudly. "Aww. How sweet and caring. What kind of emergency could possible happen? "

Renjun shrugged. She didn't know. Maybe masked people entering their apartment and trying to kidnap them? But she couldn't tell Jaemin that, could she? She couldn't. So she just allowed her boyfriend to tell her whatever he wanted to think. 

"He's a little weird, don't you think? " Jaemin commented, causing Renjun's mind to immediately go into panic mode. Did Jaemin spot something that could give away Jeno's secret? 

"Who's weird?" She asked. "Jeno's not weird. Why would you even say that? "

"Calm down, " Jaemin chuckled as he grabbed her by the waist to pull her up and lead her back to the bed. "You do not have to be defensive about it. I'm not trying to insult your other boyfriend. "

Renjun playfully pinched his chest before reminding him that no, Jeno wasn't his real boyfriend. 

"It's just that, I don't know, he's a little secretive? "

Renjun gulped nervously, struggling to get comfortable back on the bed. She shuffled before placing her chin on Jaemin's shoulder. "Why do you think so? "

Jaemin shrugged, before pulling her close. "He leaves very late in the night and comes home in the morning looking distraught, although he wouldn't say anything about it. He got defensive when I mistook his bag as my own, and he's very cautious about answering his phone. If I do not know him, I would assume that he's a gang member. "

Renjun instantly stiffened, before playing it off with a fake laugh. "That's impossible. "

"Right," Jaemin agreed. "That's highly unlikely, " Jaemin continued with a chuckle. "He's too soft and shy to be a gang member."

Renjun sighed in relief. 

"Still, I feel like he's keeping a secret from us. Like, I don't know. " He shrugged. "Maybe he's broke and he got a night job? Do you think he's a stripper? "

And Renjun thought that it was her cousin who had the wildest imagination. 

Renjun slapped her boyfriend's arm. "Can you not put images in my mind? "

"What?" Jaemin raised his hand defensively "I think he'll be a hot stripper. Have you seen those guns? "

"What gun? " she asked pushing herself away to stare at Jaemin nervously. 

"Chill, I mean his arms, " Jaemin answered before pulling her back in his arms again. "What are you getting nervous for? But anyway, have you seen his arms, those biceps, and those veins? Sometimes, I just want to pull out my syringe and practice on him. To make it short, he's hot. "

"Can we not talk about this?" she asked. "Now I can't get the image of him wearing glittery clothes. "

Jaemin snickered. "I bet you woud want to watch his show. "

She slapped his arms again.

"I bet you would want a private session. "

Another slap. 

"I would, too. "

Renjun pulled away again to glare at her boyfriend. "If I don't know any better, I would think that you have a crush on Jeno, too. "

"Is that bad? " Jaemin asked, sounding a little insecure. 

Renjun's glare immediately softened before shaking her head. "No it's not. Why would it be? "

If Renjun had been open to Jaemin about being polyamorous, then Jaemin had been open to her about being bisexual, which didn't really change much about how she felt about Jaemin, much to her boyfriends relief. That's just how they were, and accepting and understanding each other's sexuality was just one of the reason why their relationship was going strong. Still, there were times when they needed a reminder from one another. 

"Phew, " Jaemin breathed a sigh in relief, before pulling her down again. 

"He's pretty cool, " Jaemin said once again, pertaining to Jeno. 

"I thought he's weird? "

"Weird and cool, " Jaemin insisted. "At first he was kind of a little scary when he first came here. Do you know that I caught him glaring at me when he thought I wouldn't notice? "

"He did what? " Renjun asked in disbelief. She couldn't imagine Jeno doing that. But then again, he hadn't imagined Jeno to be part of a gang until she finally found out about it. 

Jaemin laughed a little. "He did. He looked…jealous."

Renjun snorted.

"I'm serious! He looked jealous that you're dating me but everytime I would ask him if he wants to date you for real, he would vehemently denied."

Of course he would. It was a good thing that Jaemin had stopped asking Jeno about it and spared Renjun of being rejected over and over again. 

"But that was then. He doesn't do that anymore, now. He's nice. He plays games with me. He lets me cook for him, and he lets me talk about you behind your back. "

"You, what? "

"Not the point, " Jaemin interrupted her. "The point is, I wouldn't mind if he stays. I mean, I would like it if he stays. "

"In our apartment? "

"In our relationship. "

Renjun was speechless for a while, and she didn't know how to react. She knew that Jaemin would be supportive of her if she every tried to pursue another relationship, but she hadn't anticipated Jaemin want to involve himself in the said relationship. 

It felt even more sad and scary. 

"Maybe we shouldn't get our hopes high? " she said. "We're just fake dating, remember? " 

She didn't want Jaemin to be attached to Jeno because when all of these were over, and Jeno already ensured her and Chenle's safety, they're bound to "break up" and Jeno wouldn't have the reason to be constant in their life again. 

"But still, " Jaemin insisted. "Since we do not know if he's gay, or bisexual, and since we don't know if I'm his type or not, I just want you to know that if he decided to date you, and you alone, I'm okay with it. I can just be your boyfriend and your other boyfriend's bestfriend. "

Renjun snorted bitterly. "You talk as if I am his type. "

"Aren't you? "

"I told you, he loves my sandwich, " she said, immediately pouting. 

"I'm still convinced that sandwich is a code for boobs and butt. "

Renjun giggled, as Jaemin's hand immediately went inside her shirt, at the same time, she felt something growing inside his boyfriend's pants. 

"I can't believe that you'll get horny just by talking about sandwiches. "

"Because I love your sandwiches? " Jaemin said playfully, as he maneuvered her to lie on her back. "And when I say sandwiches, I mean your boobs and butt. "

Renjun playfully rolled her eyes. 

"Say, how long do you think we have until Jeno comes back? "

Renjun squinted at her boyfriend. And then she sighed. Sure, Jeno was nice and all, and having him in their apartment was a beautiful change. But having him around also meant not having private time to do what they normally do as a couple. 

Renjun thought for a moment. "About five to ten minutes? "

Jaemin smirked while wiggling his eyebrows. "Just enough time. "

●●●

"Excuse me, Miss, " Renjun heard someone addressed her in broken Mandarin, as the said someone leaned on the chair in front of her's in the cafeteria. "Is this seat already taken? Because I wouldn't mind occupying your heart instead if it already is. "

Renjun looked up from her book, to glare at the nuisance in front of her. The said nuisance smiled at her before sending her a wink. 

Renjun rolled her eyes. 

The nuisance didn't wait for her answer before sitting down on the empty chair in front of her. 

"Hi, I'm Yangyang, " the nuisance told her while extending his hand at her. 

I know you, Renjun wanted to answer, but she didn't want to give him an ego boost. 

Of course she knew him, they had a class together in College Algebra during their freshman year, and not to mention, he was quite popular with the other girls in the campus. 

What Renjun didn't understand was why Liu Yangyang of Bio-Chemistry department was talking to her when she couldn't recall a single interaction she had with him when they're still classmates. 

Yangyang smiled, and Renjun knew that kind of smile so well. She had received that kind of smile from jocks several time, to know what Yangyang wanted from her. What Yangyang needed from her. 

"I'm not doing your research paper, " She answered, not bothering to shake his hand. 

Yangyang looked at her weirdly. "I don't expect you to. We have, like, different majors? "

Oh, right. Why hadn't she thought about that? Still the mystery still remained. 

"Why are you talking to me then? ' she asked. 

Yangyang shrugged. "Maybe I just find you cute and pretty, " he said, sending her a wink, again. 

"I have a boyfriend, " she confessed immediately, in hopes that the nuisance would finally let her be, so that she could finally go back to her astronomy book. 

"Cool, " Yangyang replied nonchalantly. "Are you sure you don't need another one? "

She squinted at Yangyang. 

"What? " Yangyang held his hands up defensively. "What's wrong with having more than one boyfriend? "

Renjun wasn't sure if Yangyang was just playing with her or not, and if he somehow knew from her previous boyfriends that she's … like that or he just genuinely think so. It was better to assume the former, so that's what she decided to believe in. 

"You haven't answered my question, yet. "

"What was the question again? " Yangyang asked, feigning ignorance. "Sorry, I got distracted by your beauty. "

Renjun huffed. At this point, Renjun was convinced that Yangyang just wanted to get in her pants for some bet, and quite frankly, she already felt annoyed amd disrespected. Just because she's able to have romantic feelings for more than one person at the same time, didn't mean that she would sleep with anyone else who offered. She wasn't that type. She closed her book and collected her books, in hopes of finding Jeno and going home with him. 

"Renjun, wait! " Yangyang stopped her by grabbing her by the wrist, which turned Renjun into panic mode. Being grabbed by the wrist by an overconfident male specie didn't usually end up well. She quickly scanned the cafeteria for any signs of Jaemin and Jeno, or even Chenle. 

"Whoa, you're not planning to scream or anything, right? " Yangyang asked while retracting his hand. "Sorry for grabbing you just like that, " he said, placing his hands in the air. "I promise, I'm harmless. "

Renjun squinted at him. Yangyang mouthed his apology, again, and Renjun rolled her eyes. 

Fine, she thought to herself, before sitting down on her chair again. 

"What do you want? Get to the point, or else I'll leave, for real. "

Yangyang straightened up and then cleared his throat, finally getting down to business. 

"So, you know that I don't have any Chinese friends, right? " 

Renjun squinted at him again. That was a lie. She's sure she had seen him talking to Yukhei and Guanheng in the past. 

"Alright, besides Yukhei and Guanheng, but that's not the point. The point is, there's one Chinese person that I'm looking for, and who else should I ask besides my fellow Chinese as well. "

"What makes you so sure that I'm Chinese? " She baited. 

"You're speaking to me in Mandarin, " Yangyang deadpanned. 

Renjun shrugged. "I could really just be a very intelligent student who's proficient in a foreign language. Besides, even if I'm Chinese, how sure are you that I would know every Chinese student that we have in the campus? "

"Oh, I'm not looking for a student, " upon looking at Renjun's confused expression, he immediately continued. "But don't worry, I'm pretty sure that you know this person. Like one hundred percent sure. "

Renjun tapped her foot impatiently. "Name? "

"Oh, right, " Yangyang drummed her fingers on the table. "The name's Dong Sicheng. "

Renjun racked her mind for anyone that she knew of who beared that name. 

She failed. 

"Sorry, I don't know him, " she answered before standing up again.

"Wait, what? " Yangyang asked in confusion, like he had expected Renjun to really know about that person. Was Sicheng an idol? "You're lying! " Yangyang accused her, frowning at her immensely. 

Renjun huffed. "Excuse you, " she said. "But if you want to find a person, look for him in the immigration office. "

She began to walk away again, only to be grabbed by the wrist again. This time, she was fast enough to kick Yangyang by the knee. 

Yangyang cursed, leaning forward to nurse his hurt knee. Renjun used that moment to walk away from him. 

"Huang Renjun! " 

Renjun stopped on her tracks and turned back to Yangyang. Her knees shook as she stared at his sinister smile. 

"I'll be watching you, " he warned. 

Renjun tried her best to not look afraid in front of him. 

"Weirdo, " she said before turning her back again. 

When she was sure that she was already out of sight from her former classmate, she made sure to quicken her steps. She decided to go straight to the IT department, to wait until Jeno finished his classes. She didn't feel safe going home on her own.   
●●●  
"Another body was found on the river bank. The authorities are still trying their best to identify the victim. The authorities are advising everyone in Seoul to be mindful of the people they meet and to refrain from staying out late in the night. So far, there were no lead as to the suspect for these serial killings but the authorities are associating it to the presence of gangs within the area. The authorities will make sure to — droppin' a bomb on my enemy, and I'm gonna kick it like Bruce Lee ♬♬♬"

Jaemin switched the station without finishing the news, before giving Renjun a greasy smile. "Why should we worry about murders when you're already killing me with love and happiness?"

Chenle fake gagged in the backseat, before addressing the two of them with a very disgusted tone. "Can you guys not? There's a lonely single here. "

Renjun rolled her eyes. "Not our fault you're always third willing. "

"Well, if Jaemin-hyung would just hurry up with driving instead of flirting with you, as if your not his girlfriend already, that I could also hurry and meet Taeyong-hyung and then show me that I'm a much caring boyfriend material." Chenle answered back. "Let's hurry, before his boyfriend shows up to welcome him back to work. "

According to both Chenle and Jeno, Taeyong was already fairing well after healing from that gunshot wound he had incurred, the last time Renjun had seen him. And since he's already healed, Chenle had been ecstatic when he found out that Taeyong would finally go back to his job in the ice cream shop (or his other job, if Renjun wanted to be exact. She was pretty sure that Taeyong had a much more dangerous job, other than acting cute in the ice cream shop. )

She didn't understand why Chenle was so excited, when he had been practically living with Taeyong in their headquarters, which if Renjun would note, definitely considered by her cousin as a blessing. 

"Did you at least find out who's Taeyong's boyfriend while your staying with them? " 

Chenle huffed. "I didn't. Most of the time, Kun-ge would just order me to sit on the candy shop and do my studies. Who does that? I feel like he's my mom. "

"I thought I am your, mom? " She asked pretending to sound a little offended. 

"Well, not anymore, " Renjun scoffed at that. "Anyway, I still don't know who his boyfriend is. Sometimes I think it's Jaehyun, other times, I think it's Jungwoo, but the two of them are obviously dating each other. Ten also seems to be close to him, but Ten is supposed to be dating this guy whom I haven't meet yet, so he's out of the question."

"And Simon? "

"He doesn't seem interested in dating. "

"He doesn't seem like their leader but he is, " she argued. "What about Kun-ge? "

"He's busy flirting with his part-timer, " Chenle snickered. 

"Maybe there are more members of the gang that we haven't met yet? " she suggested. 

Chenle shrugged. "Maybe. It's going to be hard to run an illegal business with just a few people. Still, nothing would stop me from trying to steal Taeyong's heart away. "

"Even guns and bombs? "

Chenle gulped nervously. "Should it really reach that point? "

Renjun chuckled. "Thought so. "

"Ah guys? " Jaemin interrupted their conversation, causing Renjun to panic. 

Oh no! 

They blew it! 

Jaemin already knew everything because the two of them could not shut up. 

"I understand that the two of you have a strong bond, but can you please not leave me out? You know I don't understand Mandarin much, right? Except for greetings and food names? I kind of feel so alone right now, " He said dramatically. 

Renjun muttered a half hearted apology, before breathing a sigh in relief. She had to thank the heaven's for Chenle's and her tendency to convert their conversation to their mother tongue, without them noticing. 

"I kind of miss Jeno. My Korean friend. My bro. My —"

"Crush? " Renjun supplied. Jaemin nodded eagerly. 

The car turned into a corner, before they finally reached their destination. Chenle didn't wait a second going out of the car, carrying his giant "welcome back" sign with him. The ungrateful brat. 

"So, " Jaemin said turning towards her with a meaningful smile. 

"So, " she replied, a small smile playing on her lips, before leaning back forward to catch her boyfriends lips. 

"See you later? " 

Jaemin nodded. "Jeno said he'll pick you up later? "

Renjun nodded. 

With Jeno confirming that the ice cream shop was indeed one of their front businesses, it was also deemed safe for her and Chenle to be there. Of course going home on their own was out of the question, so Jeno would pick her up. 

"Ah, what a nice feeling having a co-boyfriend who will help me secure your safety. It makes my job a little easier."

Renjun smacked him on his shoulder. "Fake boyfriend," she corrected him. "Don't get used to it. You know that he'll never stay, right ?"

Jaemin shrug. "We'll see about that. "

Renjun gave her boyfriend another peck, before climbing out of the car. 

"Renjun! " Jaemin called her back. "Be careful of gangs! "

Renjun paled instantly, missing her steps, and falling to her knees. 

Jaemin came out running. "Oh my, are you okay? " Jaemin quickly inspected her. "Your lucky, you didn't even scrape your knees. "

Jaemin helped her up, asking her again if she's okay.

"What are you even nervous about? I was just teasing you. What are the chances, that we, normal citizens, would encounter gang members in our life? " Jaemin chuckled. 

Renjun laughed with him nervously. Right, what are the chances? 

After reassuring Jaemin that she's alright, her boyfriend finally left. 

She sighed. 

Sometime or later, Renjun knew that Jaemin would find out about what she's hiding from him. But until then… until then, Renjun would try to continue keeping him out of this new world she accidentally discovered, to make him safe. 

●●●

"You're not Taeyong, " Chenle said dejectedly, slumping against the backrest of his seat. He grumbled as he took a scoop of his chocolate flavored ice cream. 

"Obviously, " Haechan rolled her eyes. "Something important came up, and Taeyong is needed there. He has more important things to do than to please the patrons of this shop."

She was not wearing the cat headband like she used to, and the collar was missing from her neck as well. Instead, her hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and her collared shirt tight around her neck. She looked like a regular crew of the ice cream shop, except she wasn't doing her job. Instead, she was lounging around their table as if she was a customer, too. 

"Don't you have a job to do? " Renjun said, pointing her to the counter. 

Haechan rolled her eyes. She huffed. "I don't even want to work here, " she reasoned. 

"Then why are you here? "

"Because Mark Fucking Lee had me locked up in the headquarters for a week now, and the only reason he allowed me to come here is because Jaehyun would be here, and Jaehyun is our best marksman. "

Renjun turned to the counter where Jaehyun was, the latter waving at her shortly before resuming back to taking orders from customers. He looked different here than when Renjun first met him. He didn't look cold. He looked friendly, and that dimpled smile really made him look even more amiable. He didn't look like a gangster at all. 

But so did Taeyong. 

And Mark. 

And Jeno. Most especially Jeno. 

"Like can you imagine staying home for the entire week? " Haechan continued to ramble. "I might as well be chained up in bed like a pet, twenty-four seven, which he didn't."

"That sounds very abusive to me, " Renjun commented. 

"Not if I consent, " Haechan replied, making Renjun choke on her ice cream. "But that's not the point. The point is, I'm not allowed to go out on my own, so I had to stay home, while surrounded with reviewers for the ALS that Mark was forcing me to take. "

"What do you need to take ALS for? " Renjun asked, just so they could have a topic. 

"To go to college, duh? " Haechan rolled her eyes. "And correction, I don't need it. I survived twenty years of my life without proper education. "

"Nothing at all? " Chenle asked, seemingly out of his Taeyong-is-not-here moping mode. "Why wouldn't you go to school? "

Renjun immediately smacked her cousin's head for asking. While Chenle really didn't mean to be mean, sometimes, the fact that he was born privileged really made him a little insensitive about those who were less fortunate. Renjun immediately looked at Haechan to apologize on her cousin's behalf, but the other girl just shrugged it off like it was nothing. 

"I never had the opportunity, " she answered like it wasn't a big deal. "Besides, education isn't really the most important thing. I know how to read, I know how to write and I know how to count. Jeno taught me about hacking. Jaehyun taught me about target shooting. Jungwoo taught me how to extract bullets from the body. More importantly, Ten taught me how to paralyze people by knowing pressure points. What more do I need to learn? "

Wow. Those were some extreme form of education. Renjun wondered how much she would need to pay in order to enroll to the same courses. Not that she was interested, but maybe she really was? 

Chenle opened his mouth to speak again, and Renjun prepared herself to smack him, if ever he tried to say something insensitive again. Thankfully, he wasn't able to say anything at all, due to the ringing of his phone. He begrudgingly touched the answer call button. 

"Hello? " Chenle's face turned sour as he listened to the other person on the line. "You again? I already blocked you, already? Did you change your number? " he sighed. "I told you, I don't know any person named Dong Sicheng! "

Renjun's eyes snapped to look at her cousin after he mentioned the familiar name. Wasn't that also the same name of the person that Yangyang was looking for? 

"Stop prank-calling me, or I'll tell the police! " Chenle said before ending the call, grumbling about people who didn't have anything better to do. 

"Was that Yangyang? " she asked, making Chenle turned to her in confusion. 

"Yangyang who? You mean Liu Yangyang? No. Why would Mr. popular text me? That's just some bloke who approached me outside the university, asking me for some Dong Sicheng. I don't know how he got my number, but now he's calling me nonstop. "

"That's odd, " Haechan said, looking all serious. 

"I know right? " Chenle replied. "Why would people assume that I know a Dong Sicheng? I mean, just because I'm Chinese doesn't mean I know every Chinese around. "

"No that's not what I mean, " Haechan said crossing her arms. "It's just that when I almost got kidnapped, the kidnappers are also asking me about Dong Sicheng. It couldn't be just a coincidence, right? "

Suddenly, all of the blood in her face were drained at her sudden realization. 

"Someone was also asking me about Dong Sicheng. "

"Who? " they both asked. 

"Liu Yangyang. "

"Yangyang? " Chenle asked. "Why would he look for him? "

"More importantly, " Haechan said, as if in deep thoughts. "Why are there so many people looking for Dong Sicheng? Who is he? "

"Did you asked the others about it? " Renjun asked, having a strong intuition that who ever Dong Sicheng was, he has connection to the gang. 

Haechan huffed angrily. "I asked Mark, but he just snapped at me. He told me that he doesn't know any Dong Sicheng, and that I shouldn't leave home late at night, and that I shouldn't leave home at all."

"That sounded a little too defensive to me, " Chenle commented, to which Renjun couldn't help but agree.

"I feel like he's somebody important, " She said, the two nodding affirmatively. 

"Who's important? " Jaehyun approached their table, carrying a tray of another three bowls of ice cream for them. 

"Dong Sicheng, " Chenle answered without a second thought. 

The tray immediately fell from Jaehyun's hands. His demeanor immediately changed into that of a cold person. 

"Where did you hear that name? "


	6. Chapter 6

"So who's Dong Sicheng? " Haechan asked impatiently, as the door of the staff locker room clicked shut behind Jaehyun. 

All three of them, Renjun, Haechan and Chenle, sat patiently (impatiently) on the bench, waiting for Jaehyun to give them a proper answer. 

Jaehyun sighed. "Didn't Mark already tell you that he's not important? Why don't you just believe that? "

"I would, if you're not acting tense just by the mere mention of his name, " Haechan reply matter of factly. 

"Besides, " Renjun interjected. "His name is so constant that it's impossible for him to not be important. "

"What do you mean by constant? " Jaehyun asked, crossing his arms and furrowing his eyebrows. 

"Someone's asking me about Dong Sicheng, too, " Renjun answered. 

"Me, too, " Chenle said, raising his hand. 

Jaehyun's mouth parted slightly in surprise. "Do you know who? "

Chenle shrugged. "Just some bloke texting me. "

"I do, " Renjun replied. "His name is Liu Yangyang. "

Jaehyun's eyebrows furrowed even more. "I will need you to provide more information about this Liu Yangyang. "

"But you said that Dong Sicheng isn't important. What would you even need information for? " Haechan asked, crossing her arms as well, mimicking Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun opened his mouth to reply, to deny, but there's nothing else he could say. He sighed. He gave them a half amused smile. "Why do I feel like I'm being interrogated?"

"It's because you are, " Chenle answered, crossing his arms as well, but there was a mischievous smile playing on his lips. 

Jaehyun chuckled. He picked up the monoblock chair, and sat in front of the three of them. 

"If I tell you that he's important, would that be enough for you? " They all shook their head. "I thought so. Too bad, that's all I could say about him. "

All three of them gave a noise of protest, to which Jaehyun only raised his hand to silence them. "Enough! " He sighed. "I can't tell you more, or else, you'll be in danger. "

"That's ridiculous, " Haechan answered, scoffing. "We're already in danger, don't you think? I think it's only fair to know why we're in danger. It's only fair for us to know about what we're running away from. "

"You don't need to know what, " Jaehyun insisted. "You just need to run away from everyone who asks you about Dong Sicheng. "

"But why? " Haechan asked again. 

"You don't need to know why, " Jaehyun glared at her, leaving no room for arguments. He then turned to Renjun. "I will need you to tell me about this Liu Yangyang, because there's a huge chance that he's a very dangerous person."

"How dangerous? " she asked. 

"Dangerous enough for you to lose your own life or your loved ones. "

Renjun shivered, her mind immediately went to Jaemin, who didn't even know a thing about what Renjun had involved herself into, to her parents who are already retired in China, to her friends, right, she didn't have much friends at all, but that's not the point. She couldn't help but worry that through her, the people she loved would be in danger. 

"Is Dong Sicheng the bad guy, or the good guy? " Chenle asked. 

"Is that even important? " Jaehyun asked in return. "What's important is that the people looking for him are always the bad guy, and you have to be cautious about them. You have to stay away from them."

"But what about Liu Yangyang? " Renjun asked. "We go to the same university. "

Jaehyun thought for a moment before answering. "We'll handle him. "

"How? " she asked, shivers running down her spine. "Are you going to kill him? "

Jaehyun sighed. "We'll just do what we have to do. "

"Including keeping secrets from us? " Haechan asked, sounding deeply annoyed. 

"Yes, " Jaehyun answered without hesitation. 

Haechan scoffed. "Why do I feel that it's not just because you're protecting us? "

"And what do you mean by that? " Jaehyun asked, raising one eyebrow at Haechan. He was starting to look annoyed by Haechan's attitude already. 

"I feel like you don't trust us, " Haechan said without hesitation. "I feel like you don't trust us to keep your secrets. "

"That's because you're not one of us. "

The door of the locker room opened, revealing both Jeno and Mark, the latter looking a little too angry for some reason. 

"You're not one of us, " Mark repeated, causing Haechan to flinch. Renjun placed a hand on the other girls shoulder to comfort her. "You're not one of us, and we will not allow you to be one of us. Deal with it. "

Jeno cleared his throat, before placing a hand on Mark's shoulder. "Hyung, maybe you should talk in private? "

Haechan was already close to tears, and thankfully, Mark relented easily. 

"Maybe you should take Renjun home? " Jaehyun asked Jeno. "It's getting late, and it would be safer for both of you to walk back home before it gets dark. Especially now that someone had traced her connection to Dong Sicheng. " 

Jeno nodded obediently, before reaching for Renjun's hand. Renjun bade her cousin goodbye as well as Haechan, who was still looking at the ground dejectedly. 

"Jeno, " Mark called the younger, just before they could reach the door. "You know what to do. Don't tell your girlfriend anything. She's not one of us. "

●●●

"Will Haechan be okay? " Renjun asked once she and Jeno had already settled on the empty back row of the bus.

Jeno nodded. "She and Mark hyung are just like that. They argue, but they also make up fast, although recently, they argue most of the time. "

"Recently, meaning after the… almost kidnapping? " she said the last word in a low voice, wary that the other passengers might hear. 

Jeno nodded again. "Mark-hyung has been really scared since that night. After all, he always make sure to keep Haechan away from our…business. For her own safety. "

"She doesn't seem concerned about safety, that much. "

Jeno laughed, causing Renjun's heart to summersault, which wasn't a good sign because Jeno wouldn't stay anyway. Come on heart, don't get too attached. 

"Haechan's more concerned about staying with Mark-hyung's side, which means she wants to be involved more. "

"They have different priorities, I see, " She commented. 

More people filled inside the bus as it reached another stop. It became crowded, and two people sat beside them. They became more cautious of what they're talking about, but the continued, nonetheless. 

"Not really, " Jeno disagree. "I mean, sure they want different things, but they're both doing it for each other. Mark-hyung wants to protect Haechan by keeping her in the dark about our biggest secrets, and Haechan wants to be a part of Mark-hyung's life, even if it means that she'll be endangering her own life. "

Jeno shuffled closer to make space for another passenger, their hips touching, the back of their hands as well. Renjun fought the urge to hold his hand. They're not really dating for real, so it would be awkward. Granted that friends could hold hands as well, but still, it would be awkward. Besides, she didn't want to get attached. 

Jeno wouldn't stay anyway. 

She sighed. 

With this new "Dong Sicheng" problem, Renjun was woken up in a reality that she and Jeno have an entirely different world, and had it not been for Chenle mistaking Mark as his crush's boyfriend, then they wouldn't have been close. Jeno wouldn't have to pretend to be her boyfriend, just because he felt grateful over Renjun's small act of kindness in the middle school. 

"You're not one of us. "

Somehow, even if Mark had been looking at Haechan when he said those words, Renjun couldn't help but feel that it was directed at her as well. 

She wasn't one of them. 

She's just a normal university student who didn't view relationship the same way that normal people did. She wasn't some gangster in disguise who's selling exam answers by day and selling drugs by night. She was selling neither, because she was a good law abiding citizen who's too afraid to even commit jaywalking. 

She's dating Jaemin, a sophomore nursing student, only him and no one else. She had a crush on Jeno from IT Department, whose secret she wasn't supposed to have discovered. 

Her only problems should have only involved controlling her temper and not lashing out on professors who thought that they're paying their tuition to listen to the story of their lives. Her top priority should have been to make sure that Chenle wouldn't die doing something stupid, and to make sure that Jaemin wouldn't paint himself pink because he loved that color. 

She should never be concerned over a certain Dong Sicheng, whom she would probably never know. 

She was just a normal person who knew better than to continue involving herself into something dangerous. 

"Do you feel the same way as Haechan? " Jeno asked her after a while. Most people in the bus were already dozing off, but they still spoke in hushed conversation, just to be safe. 

"In what way? "

Jeno played with his fingers nervously. "Do you feel like it's unfair that I'm keeping secrets from you? "

Renjun shrugged, trying to look like it wasn't a big deal. 

"I… I don't? I mean, Mark's right. I'm not one of you, so I don't have the right to know everything. Besides, " Renjun swallowed the lump on her throat. Why was she feeling sad? 

"Besides, we're not dating for real, " she laughed, trying to sound like she wasn't bitter about. "I don't have the right to be demanding like Haechan. She's Mark's real girlfriend, after all. "

"Right, " Jeno laughed with her, awkwardly. "We're not dating for real. Right. "

They stayed silent for a while. Renjun didn't notice that she was already, subconsciously copying Jeno's action, playing with her own fingers nervously. 

"I'm thinking about breaking up with you, " Jeno said after a while. "I mean, fake break up… I mean, break up our fake dating. "

Renjun sighed. "I get it, Jeno, " she answered. He didn't have to keep repeating over and over again that they didn't have a real relationship. Why was she sad? Wasn't it supposed to be just a small crush? 

"When? " she asked, she didn't know if she should sound eager or regretful about it, so she just chose to sound neutral, like she didn't care. 

"After this issue with those people looking for… him, " Jeno replied. "I would really like to do it sooner, but unfortunately, I can't. Everyone as of the moment have trust issues, and I don't think they would easily let people who know about us get away easily, safely. Even if they are exes. "

He would have wanted to end it sooner, bit unfortunately, he felt indebted to Renjun, so he couldn't free himself from the additional burden of having a fake relationship with her, as well as the additional task of keeping her safe. 

Again, why was she sad? 

"Do you think, we could still be friends after breaking up? " Jeno asked her, she didn't know if her mind was playing with her or if Jeno really sounded sadden about it. 

"Maybe, " She answered. She wanted to, obviously. She just wasn't sure if that would be possible. 

"Maybe not, " Jeno said, and Renjun felt dejected. "We have different worlds. It would be better for us to just stay away from each other by then. "

Renjun hummed in agreement, before closing her eyes and feigning sleep. 

She's sad, even if she wasn't supposed to be. 

She's sad, even if she had already expected this things to happen. 

●●●

Renjun woke up, feeling bitter about the differences in the society, and feeling hatred on cupid for allowing her to be interested on the person she wouldn't stand a chance with. 

Also, she woke up to a mild headache and stiff neck that instantly made her moan in pain. 

"Oh, you're awake! " Jaemin beamed, while setting their table with dinner. "How's your nap? "

Renjun rubbed her eyes as she slowly got up, slightly feeling disoriented. "How did I get home? " she asked. 

"Oh, do you want the fairytale version? " Jaemin asked excitedly, setting down two bowls of rice for them each. "The prince and the princess went on an adventure. On their way home, the princess fell into deep sleep, but instead of waking her up, the prince carried her on his white horse, and they live happily ever after. "

Renjun made a face. " I want the realistic version. "

"Are you sure? " Jaemin asked before snickering. "Well, you fell asleep on his shoulder while you're on the bus, wetting the sleeve of his t-shirt wet with your drool. Then, he carried you home, bridal style, from the bus stop. "

Renjun made a face, automatically reaching out to wipe her mouth. "That far? " she asked. "He could have woken me up instead. I bet that looked awkward. "

"And hot, " Jaemin said, making Renjun roll her eyes. "He carried you with those arm, bulging muscles and veins looking delectable. I would have taken a picture but he didn't let me. Say, do you think I should try my luck as well? You know, ride on the bus with him and pretend to sleep. Do you think he would carry me bridal style as well? "

Renjun ignored her boyfriend's rambling, in favor of scanning their apartment for her other "boyfriend".

"He's not here, " Jaemin said, noticing her search for the other. "He left almost immediately after the two of you arrived. Something about family emergency. Does his family live nearby? " Jaemin asked. "If so, why is he living with us instead of with them? Not that I'm complaining, of course. You know that I like him here. "

Renjun sighed. She wasn't in the mood to lie to Jaemin. "It's Jeno's secret to keep," she answered. "Sorry. "

"Oh, " Jaemin nodded. "That's understandable. "

Renjun was really thankful that Jaemin wasn't the pushy type. He knew when to let the topic go, especially if it would make another person uncomfortable. 

"Oh, I almost forgot, " Jaemin said, before going around the table, to retrieve something from their drawer. "Jeno asked me to give it to you. He said it slipped his mind. "

Jaemin placed a small box on the bed, which Renjun immediately inspected. A smartphone? 

"I was also surprised when he gave it to me, " Jaemin said, before resuming his work on setting the table. "I mean, wasn't he supposed to be a broke university student who was kicked out of his dorm? So how could he afford Samsung's newest model of smartphone. I kind of want to lose my phone, too, but I figured that such expensive gift is exclusive only for fake girlfriends. Where is he getting his money, anyway? Was he some Goo Junpyo in disguise? "

Renjun just smiled at him, instead of answering. 

"Right, " Jaemin nodded to himself. "Jeno's secret. "

Renjun picked up a carefully folded note, and read it. 

"Press and hold one in case of emergency. "

"Kinda cute, right? " Jaemin commented. "He already made his number speed dial number one. I wouldn't mind being speed dial number two. After all, numbers are just numbers. "

Renjun abandoned the phone on the bed, in favor of having dinner with Jaemin. She didn't want to deal with anything related to Jeno, yet. She was still feeling sad, for some reasons. 

Her boyfriend, however, had different plans in mind. 

"Injunnie, I have a question, " Jaemin said, in between scoops of rice. "I hope this isn't a Jeno secret as well, because I'm wondering. Why do you look sad? "

Renjun looked up from her bowl to to stare at her boyfriend. "Why do you say so? "

"Because, " Jaemin paused to chew his pork before answering. "You're not smiling like you used to whenever we talk about Jeno. You don't look elated. You don't look lovestruck. "

"Do I really look like that whenever we talk about him? " Renjun, asked feeling self conscious. 

Jaemin nodded. "Not just when talking about him, but also when you talk to him. Although I'm not sure if he noticed. I did because you're like that to me as well. " He shrugged it off, not even sounding bothered at all. "So what happened? Did the two of you fight? "

"What makes you say so? " she asked again, averting her eyes. 

"Because he look sad as well, " Jaemin answered, making Renjun look at him again. 

"He does? "

Jaemin nodded. "So did you fight? "

Was Jeno also sad that they would have to break up eventually? Was he also sad that they wouldn't even be friends when all if this was over? 

Renjun didn't want to be hopeful, but if Jeno was sad over the same thing, then maybe there's a chance. 

"Or is it connected to the family emergency that he was talking about? "

All hopes were immediately crushed. 

Right. Jeno had family emergency, which probably because of this Dong Sicheng, whom Renjun would never find out about, because she's not one of them. 

Right. Why would Jeno be sad about "breaking up" with her? 

Renjun placed her chopsticks on the table. She didn't have an appetite anymore. She pushed her bowl to the side, and she placed her elbow on the table as she rested her head on her palms. She sighed. 

"Baby, sweetie, honey, love, " Jaemin softly tried to coax her, placing his chopsticks on the table as well. "You know you can tell me everything, right? "

Renjun nodded, although she knew that she couldn't and that's another problem. Renjun sighed again. 

"Jeno's going to break up with me, " she said. 

"What? " Jaemin asked. "Wait, I thought you're not dating for real. "

Renjun nodded. Maybe that's another problem? She sighed. 

"I mean, he wants to stop pretending that we're dating, " she said, sighing once again. 

"Oh, " Jaemin nodded to himself. "Oh. " His face suddenly brightened up in realization, only for a short while. "Oh, god, now I finally get it. I'm sorry! "

Jaemin stood up from his chair to go over to where Renjun was sitting. He quickly pulled her to his chest and began caressing her hair comfortingly. "Don't be sad. It's not like he's going to disappear after breaking up with you. Or rather fake breaking up with you. Or whatever. He's not going to disappear, right? "

He would. He said so himself. Jeno's going to stay away from her because they were living in an entirely different world. 

But Renjun couldn't say that to Jaemin. She wasn't allowed to. Seriously, why was life so hard? 

"Come to think of it, let's look at the bright side of things! " 

Renjun looked up to her boyfriend, baffled at the latter's optimism. She couldn't understand how there could be a bright side to this situation? Like, how? 

"Since you'll stop fake dating him, you can finally start dating him for real! "

Jaemin looked proud of his positive outlook in the situation, and Renjun just deadpanned on him. 

"What? That's possible, right? Stop pretending to date him and start dating him for real. "

When Renjun didn't give him the kind of reaction that he was expecting, which was to join him in his excited mode, Jaemin sat down on the chair beside her. "Is that wrong? "

Renjun sighed again. "You know that not everyone can understand us right? "

Jaemin furrowed his eyebrows, confused as to what she's talking about, until he finally had realizations. "Do you… do you think Jeno would think like that? "

Renjun shrugged. "I mean, he's already weirded out that we're sharing a bed with him. Moreover, I think he's confused why you've been asking him to date me for real, when you're already my boyfriend. "

"But confusion is different from repulsion!" Jaemin reasoned. "Maybe he just needs to hear explanations. He doesn't seem like… like those people. "

"You mean my exes? "

"Yes, them, " Jaemin nodded. "Jeno doesn't seem like a close minded person to me. Maybe he'll give you a chance once you explain everything to him? "

Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't, Renjun wasn't sure. Besides, that wasn't the only issue, but unfortunately, Renjun couldn't tell her boyfriend what those other issues were about. Again, why was life so hard?

"There's only one way to find out, " Jaemin said with determination, that certainly made Renjun nervous. 

"What do you mean, " she asked, not feeling good about what Jaemin had in mind. 

"We have to confess to him! "

"What? " Renjun exclaimed. "And what do you mean "we"? "

"What? " Jaemin asked her back. "I thought it's pretty obvious that I have a crush on him, too? I thought you're okay with that? So why don't we confess to him? Together. Come on, let's do it. Where is he right now? "

"Wait! " Renjun raised her hand to stop her boyfriend from getting ahead if himself. She wasn't quite sure how it escalated fast, but she knew that she needed to talk her boyfriend out of it, before he does something he would regret. "You do realize that confessing to him means that you're going to come out to him, right? "

Jaemin instantly calmed down. "I haven't thought of that. "

It wasn't only Renjun who had suffered from other people's judgement. Jaemin did, too, for being bisexual. He had been mislabeled as gay countless of times in the past, and had been accused of just using the girls he had dated, to cover up his "true" sexuality. If Jaemin was the first person who understood Renjun for being polyamorous, then Renjun was the first girl who wasn't disgusted after knowing about his previous relationship with guys. Surely, it wouldn't be easy for him to come out to other people after those experiences, right? 

Or, maybe not. 

Jaemin shrugged. "Oh, well. We should still try our luck. "

"What? " she asked, completely baffled at how Jaemin was still willing to continue his plan. 

Jaemin picked up her chopsticks, and began feeding her. She chewed her foods silently, as she waited for her boyfriend to explain. 

"Like I said, I don't think that Jeno is that kind of person. I mean, sure he was weirded out by how different our relationship is from the others, but I'm pretty sure he got over it somehow. Besides…"

Renjun cocked her head to the side as she waited for her boyfriend to continue. 

"Besides, if he ended up like those kinds of people we had in our past, then maybe he's not worth it, " Jaemin said in a serious manner that Renjun wasn't used to. "I mean, sure he's hot, and I'm thirsting for his vein-y arms, but if he ends up as a close minded person, then he's not worth pursuing. But I still believe that he's not that kind of person. "

"So what do you say? "


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! >o<

Renjun was going to confess to Jeno. 

She and her boyfriend were going to confess. 

They lie awake in bed, tossing and turning, as they tried to formulate the best words to convey their feelings towards the subject of their shared crush.

We like you! Please like us back! 

Nope. That sounded so much like begging for likes on Facebook. Too desperate.

So, here's the thing: we like you, but if you don't like us, okay, no biggie. What do you want for breakfast tomorrow? 

Nope. That sounded so insincere, like they weren't even serious about asking him out. 

Listen, Jeno. I like you. I've liked you for a while, even before meeting you under that "unfortunate circumstances" ,but being close to you makes me like you more. Jaemin likes you, too. I know that this is a lot to take, but if you're willing to listen and give us chance, we would like to explain everything, and how our relationship works. Regardless if you feel the same, I hope that this wouldn't change how you view us as a person, because we really like you and we think that you're a wonderful person. 

That seemed to be good enough. But what if it wasn't? 

"Screw this! " Jaemin finally said, pulling up the blankets to their chin, and pulling Renjun close so that he couldn't stop her from tossing and turning. "Let's just tell him the first thing that comes into our mind when he comes back and then deal with his reaction. Let's not over-think for now. "

Renjun pressed her face on her boyfriends neck, as the latter patted her head comfortingly. "It's going to be alright, " Jaemin told her, which was followed by a yawn. "Who knows if by the end of the night, Jeno will already be our boyfriend? " 

Except Jeno didn't return that night. Renjun knew because she hadn't had an ounce of sleep, overthinking things, the way Jaemin didn't want her to. 

She couldn't help it. Maybe confessing wasn't a good idea? 

They might end up being rejected anyway. Why the hell would Jeno date her? And Jaemin? They're already a couple, and that's weird and wrong, per normal people standard. 

Besides, Jeno was already living a complicated life. Why would he want to complicate it even more, by entering a complicated relationship? 

Another besides, what would happen in case they end up dating? Would that mean that Jaemin would also find out about the gang? Would she be more involved with their business? And what about Jaemin? Would he be in danger, too? 

Surely, even if the chances of Jeno being in a relationship with them was close to zero, it's still worth noting. 

What if? 

Renjun had long disentangled herself from her boyfriend's octopus-like hold. She climbed off the bed, in favor of sitting on the couch to over-think some more. She watched as the hour hand struck twelve while waiting for the door knob the turn, and for Jeno to return. 

He didn't. 

Hours passed by, faster than when Renjun was waiting for class dismissal. 

One o'clock. 

Two o'clock. 

Three o'clock. 

Jeno still didn't come home. 

Renjun wasn't sure why she was waiting for him anyway. It wasn't like she was going to confess to him at the exact moment he opened the door, right? She was still second guessing if agreeing to Jaemin's plan was a good idea. 

Renjun fell asleep around four o'clock, and still, Jeno was nowhere in sight. 

She woke up around six, feeling shitty, and looking shitty. What could anyone expect from a couple hours of sleep? 

Jeno was still nowhere in sight. 

"It's the universe telling us not confess to him. "

Jaemin pouted. "Don't be discouraged easily! If he returns before breakfast, the first thing that we're going to do is to confess to him! "

But Jeno didn't come home for breakfast. He didn't come home to walk Renjun to the university. 

"I wonder what happened to him, " Jaemin muttered, just as he finished tying Renjun's hair in a ponytail. "I wonder what kind of family emergency happened. You don't suppose someone died, do you? "

Renjun's breath hitched. 

"Don't say that! " she said. "Maybe, something just came up, so he couldn't come back. Just… just not death. "

"Right, sorry, " Jaemin commented, before placing the comb on their vanity. "Let's be positive about it. "

Except, Renjun couldn't. As she reached the university, she couldn't help but feel that something wrong was going to happen. 

Jeno didn't come to study at the library like he used to, and he also didn't attend his classes, at least that's what they told her when she came to the IT department, to look for him. 

Mark wasn't in the university as well, and although according to Chenle, Mark had so many absences already, the fact that the two of them were missing, could only mean one thing. 

Something was wrong with the gang. 

Something was wrong, and Jeno didn't inform her. 

A part of her was feeling disappointed for being clueless about what was happening, but a part of her also knew that she didn't have the right to demand anything from Jeno. It wasn't like she was his real girlfriend at all. 

But still, it was worrying. What if something bad happened to Jeno? 

Renjun found herself staring blankly at her professors, the page of her note empty, aside from the doodles she drew upon the page, while stressing about what could have possibly happened to Jeno. 

He wasn't hurt, right? 

He wasn't in pain? 

He wasn't injured, right? 

He wasn't… dead? 

Renjun shook her head.

No. Jeno couldn't be dead. He shouldn't be dead! 

But what if? 

Being in a gang was dangerous. She had witnessed Mark killing three persons, and she had witnessed Taeyong come home with a hole in his stomach. 

What assurance did Renjun have that Jeno wouldn't experience the same? 

Her last class for the day had finally ended. Soullessly, she collected her stuff, and hoped that Jeno was already waiting for her outside the room, like he had been doing for days now. 

He wasn't.

Renjun sighed. 

She really should stop overthinking. Maybe the gang just had a party last night, and both Jeno and Mark were too hungover to come to their respective lectures. 

That could happen, right? Surely, they still have the time to party… even in the middle of worrying about the people coming after them while looking for Dong Sicheng. 

Maybe not. 

Something buzzed inside her own bag, and for a while, she had forgotten what it was.

Oh, right. 

Her phone! She had a new phone, which Jeno had given to her! 

Why hadn't she thought about it? She could have just called him instead of worrying!

She quickly search her bag to retrieve her phone. 

Someone was calling her, an unknown number. She didn't hesitate to press the answer call button. 

"Hello? " 

The person on the other line stayed silent, before a begrudging grunt was heard. The person on the other line sighed. 

"Are you done with your lectures? "

Renjun immediately recognized the voice, and quite frankly, she was baffled. This person was the last person in her mind who would call her, and just the fact that he's speaking to Renjun on the phone meant that something bad was about to come her way. 

Hesitantly, she answered. "Yes. "

"Good, " the person on the other line said. "Now meet me at the parking lot near Gate 1. Hurry up, because I have more important things to do. You have five minutes. "

●●●

Renjun was still huffing as she sat on the passenger seat of Doyoung's car. She didn't know why she immediately get inside, despite the fact that she's clearly a little bit afraid of the older. But then again, she was also quite scared of angering him, so maybe, getting inside like he ordered Renjun to, was the best idea. 

So here she was, sitting next to a person who presumably hated her, as the said person drove both of them to god only knew where. 

In dramas, being alone with the male lead's parent never went well for the female lead. These scenes would always end up with the female lead hurt, what kind of hurt, depended on the general setting, and theme of the story. 

If the male lead was a son of a chaebol, then this scene would end up with the parent offering the female lead a large sum of money, for her to leave male lead alone. If she declined, which of course, she would, because the the female lead shouldn't be money greedy, then the parent would swear to ruin her life, her family's life, her friend's life and her SNS follower's life. Okay maybe not the latter, but that's not the point. 

The point was, Jeno wasn't a son of a chaebol. He was a son (at least that's what Renjun heard, although she doubted if that's really the case, biologically speaking) of a gang member. 

Renjun had a feeling that Doyoung wasn't going to offer her money. 

Offering money wasn't the gangsters' way. 

They intimidate. 

Doyoung had been glaring at her from time to time, and to Renjun, that's a clear sign of intimidation. Was she intimidated? Definitely… yes. 

What else would they do if intimidation didn't work? 

They'd lure the female lead towards the cemetery. They'd shoot her, with only the dead to witness the deed, and then bury her, and not even put a name on her grave. 

Okay, so maybe, she hadn't seen a TV drama with a storyline like that, but again, that's beyond the point. 

The point was, Doyoung obviously didn't like her for Jeno, so there's still a fat chance that Doyoung would try to make her disappear from Jeno's life. What better way to do it, other than to kill her, right? 

She gulped. Was that a cemetery they just passed by? No? 

She heard Doyoung sighed beside her. 

"What are you even nervous about? Do I look like someone who will kill you, just because I don't like you for Jeno? "

Renjun turned to him, before giving him a very awkward smile. 

You do. 

Doyoung turned to her for a while to gauge her reaction, only for him to roll his eyes and focus his sight on the road again. 

"I'm not going to kill. I don't plan to. And for the record, I do not not like you for Jeno. It's just…" Doyoung sighed before shaking his head. "Never mind. "

Oh, is this the point where the female lead and the parent of male lead would have a heart to heart talk and finally reconcile their differences? She would love that! 

More importantly, since, it had already been established that Doyoung wasn't planning to kill her, she was finally reminded of what had been bugging her mind since morning. 

"Oppa, " she mentally cringed. She wasn't fond of using this honorific, especially with how much the the other girls her age had butchered the term, and had given it an entirely different meaning, and the fact that Jaemin had been bugging her to call him that during… private times. Still, she had to be polite, or else, she might risk changing Doyoung's mind about killing her. 

Doyoung grunted, signalling her to continue what she wanted to say. So, she did. 

"I haven't seen Jeno since morning. Did something bad happened? "

Doyoung huffed. "I thought you wouldn't ask. I was already getting suspicious that the two or you aren't dating for real, and that you don't even care about him, at all. "

Renjun grimaced. 

Doyoung was right about what he said, except for the fact that Renjun didn't care. She did, and in fact, Jeno would probably the reason why she would risk failing her future exams, considering as she basically just sat in class and thought about him all day. 

"He's… fine, " Doyoung answered, refusing to meet her gaze, and if Renjun would point that out, he might actually just associate it with the fact that he was trying to focus on driving. "That's all you have to know. Don't ask anymore questions."

But just the fact that Doyoung was asking her not to ask anymore questions, convinced her that the older was hiding something from her, hence it made her want to ask more questions. 

Was he hurt? 

Was he injured? 

Was he still alive? 

"But, oppa, " she cringed again, but being awkward wasn't her top priority. "I'm his… I'm his… I'm his girlfriend. " 

Doyoung snuck a glance at her, and Renjun deeply hoped that she didn't make it too obvious that she's lying. 

"I want to know if he's alright, " she said. "I… I deserve to know if he's alright. "

Doyoung snuck a glance at her again, with the expression that she couldn't read. 

Uh oh. 

Did she say something bad? 

Did she sound so demanding? 

So demanding that she could end up getting their business in jeopardy? 

Was she going to die? 

Doyoung muttered something incoherently under his breath, that had Renjun silently praying. She's going to die. 

Doyoung sighed, as he made another turn in the corner. "Now I know what Jeno sees in you. "

Renjun stared at him, completely baffled at what he's talking about. Was that a good thing? Yes? 

"He's fine, " Doyoung said after a while. "I mean, he's not critical, but he still couldn't come out. As to why, you have to ask him himself. He specifically asked me not to tell you. " 

There's a small fond smile playing on Doyoung's lips, and Renjun couldn't understand why. Wasn't Jeno hurt? 

"What do you mean he's not critical? " she asked. "So he's injured? He's hurt? How is he? Can I see him? "

"Calm down, " Doyoung told her. He sounded annoyed, although he couldn't conceal the amused look he had on his face. "He had a little altercation with some people as he was heading home last night. He wasn't heavily injured. He's fine. Really. Nothing to worry about. "

Still, Renjun couldn't help but worry. If everything was fine, then why couldn't Jeno go out? Moreover, who were the people he had an altercation with? 

"Oppa, were those people, the same as those who's looking for Dong Sicheng? "

Doyoung looked at her in surprise, and they almost collided with and incoming truck, had Doyoung not returned to his senses immediately. The wheels screeched as Doyoung barely saved both of them from getting pancaked. 

Renjun sighed in relief. Thank goodness, she didn't die. Here she was imagining her death to be dramatic and action-packed, only for her life to almost be ended by an accident. 

"Sorry, I was just surprised after you mentioned that name, " Doyoung said sincerely. "Instant reaction. I forgot that you already know about him. I mean, not entirely, but it's not like you're allowed to know more about him. If you do, then we're going to have to kill you. Okay, maybe not, but still, trust me, knowing more about him will just complicate life even more. "

Renjun only nodded. It was already established that she shouldn't know, at least for her own sake. Even Haechan didn't know about him aside from his name, much to the other girl's disappointment. 

"Someone asked me about him in the university. "

"I was told, " Doyoung immediately replied, this time, wary of tearing his gaze away from the road. 

"Is he… Is he someone dangerous? "

Doyoung drove in silence for a while, as if in deep thoughts, before finally answering. "Liu Yangyang, twenty, of Chinese descent but of German nationality. He's the youngest son of Chairman Liu, owner of Liu Builders, a construction business based in China. He was born and raised in Germany by her mother, after his parent's divorced. He was the only one of the Liu children who's not interested in succeeding their family business, hence why he has chosen biochemistry as major, instead of business, architecture and engineering. So far, that's the only information that I have about him. Of course, I have already researched about his social circle, and his family background up to his great great grandparents, but not one of them could be traced back to any of our enemies. Still, just to be sure, just be wary of being around him on your own. Just to be safe, don't go home on your own as well. Wait for Jeno, or Mark… or me. Why are you looking at me like that?"

Renjun continued to gape at him. "How did you…"

"How did I what? " Doyoung asked. "How did I know a lot about him? That's pretty much my job in the group, to research about clients, and enemies alike. Jeno used to be my helper, but he pretty much have a different job as of the moment. "

"Did you… did you research about me as well? " she asked nervously. 

"What do you think? "

Renjun paled. 

Oh no! Did Doyoung already found out? About their lies? About their fake relationship? About Jaemin? 

Suddenly the car came into a complete halt. Renjun immediately looked out of the window to check where Doyoung had taken her.

Oh, hey, wasn't this outside the building where she lives? 

Renjun turned to Doyoung in confusion. 

"Jeno wants to pick you up from the uni, but unfortunately, he couldn't, so I had to do it instead. Now off! I already wasted my time when I have more important thing to do. "

Renjun muttered a short thanks before scrambling off of her seat and out of the car. 

"And Renjun, " Doyoung called her, before she could make a single step towards the entrance of the building. Doyoung peeped through the window. "If you have an emergency, and you have no means of contacting Jeno, you have my number. "

Renjun was on the verge of thanking him again, but Doyoung opened his mouth again before she could say anything else. 

"But don't send me meaningless text or I'll block you. Bye! "

Renjun barely registered the shy blush on Doyoung's cheeks before the car rushed away. 

Was that… was that the in-law reconciliation that she had been waiting for? 

Renjun smiled to herself as she headed inside the building. 

Doyoung didn't seem like a threat to her anymore, and it didn't seem like he wanted to kill Renjun at all. The fact that he had already offered to help her in case of emergency was already a big development for their relationship. 

She was still worried about Jeno, of course, and she's planning to immediately call him, the moment she entered the comfort and safety of her apartment. 

Really. 

She was meaning to, had she not been been distracted by her boyfriend. 

Her boyfriend who was standing in front of her with his white shirt drenched in blood. 

Renjun let out a gurgling scream.


	8. Chapter 8

Much to Renjun's disdain, Jaemin's laughter echoed inside their apartment and mingled with his panicked scream. She slapped his shoulder in annoyance, before breathing a sigh in relief. 

"Relax, " Jaemin told her after calming down from his laughing fit. "We don't want any complains from the neighbors. "

Renjun moved pass her boyfriend to sit down on the couch, where she could finally let her shaky legs rest. She shot him another glare before asking, "Why do you look like you walked out of a murder scene? "

"It's spaghetti sauce, " Jaemin explained once again while giving him an amused chuckle. He took his shirt off and placed it in the laundry basket. "What makes you think of murder in the first place? " he asked while retrieving a new shirt from the drawer. "It's not like we're involved in something dangerous, right? It's not like we're involved with a gang, or something. "

Renjun gulped. Technically, they weren't, but they're surely related to one. At least Renjun was. 

Come to think of it. If Renjun's life could be in danger for "dating" Jeno, then wasn't Jaemin, by extension, in danger as well? What's even worse is that her boyfriend didn't know about anything at all. Wasn't that riskier? 

She hadn't thought about that before, but seeing Jaemin drenched in blood (spaghetti sauce) had raised the possibility that he, too, might get caught up in whatever situation Renjun had gotten herself into. 

She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. Maybe she's just overthinking things. Maybe the situation wasn't even as heavy as she thought it could be. Besides, so far the only person who's bothering her, and possibly the only person who knew about Renjun, Jeno and the gang was Yangyang, and so far, according to Doyoung, he wasn't much of a threat based on his research. 

Maybe she shouldn't panic. Panicking would make it even more obvious to Jaemin that she's hiding something from him, and with Jaemin's keen senses, it's not impossible that soon, he would find out what it was that Renjun was hiding from him. 

But still, what if? 

Renjun shook her head. Nope. That's not going to happen. 

Renjun opened her eyes to see Jaemin already fully dressed and wiping at the mess he created on the counter. "You finally calmed down? " Jaemin asked, still amused at her initial reaction. 

Renjun rolled her eyes. "Why were you bathing on spaghetti sauce, anyway? "

"I wasn't bathing on spaghetti sauce! I was trying to cook spaghetti, " he said, pointing out to the cooked pasta and the other ingredients on the counter. 

"Trying is the key word, " Renjun sassed, causing her boyfriend to pout at her. "Wasn't the spaghetti sauce supposed to go with the pasta and not the cook? What happened? "

"I got distracted, you meany! " Jaemin replied, sulky, causing Renjun to give an amused smile. "I was reading something on my phone. I was surprised, so I accidentally poured the sauce on myself instead of the sauce pan. "

"What were you reading on your phone that got you all distracted, anyway? " Renjun asked, finally finding the situation funny. 

Murder? What murder? This seemed to be something worth recording in a video and laughing about. Too bad, Renjun missed the whole scenario. 

Jaemin shrugged, before picking up his phone from the counter and turning it off. "Just something unimportant. Don't dwell on it. "

Renjun squinted at him. "Sure. Something unimportant that caused you to spill spaghetti sauce all over yourself. Sure Jaemin. Sure. "

Jaemin let out a nervous laugh, which didn't do much, other that to make Renjun worry. 

Normally, if it was something unimportant like Jaemin said, then her boyfriend would have no problem sharing it with her. Then they could laugh about it. 

But Jaemin turned off his phone, an indication that whatever it was, he didn't want to share it to Renjun. 

Which was odd. They share almost everything (saved for the secret about Jeno and his involvement in the gang, which was still making Renjun feel guilty about), and if it was something worth hiding, then it was also something worth worrying. 

"You're not getting harassed by the guys in your class, are you? "

Renjun couldn't help but worry. She instantly recalled the stories her boyfriend had shared what happened to him in high school. Jaemin used to be a part of their high school varsity team, until he came out as bisexual, and the harassment and bullying that he experienced from his former friends, triggered him to quit playing basketball.Her heart ached, just thinking about the possibility that Jaemin, her soft and gentle boyfriend, was experiencing the same again. 

Jaemin shook his head. "It's not that, " He said, throwing the disposable towel in the bin, before occupying the space beside her. "Don't worry. This is college, not an all boys high school. Besides, it's not like I'm going to hide something as important as that to you, if that's the case. "

"Then what is it? " she asked, hands immediately reaching out to her boyfriend's face, brushing her thumb against his cheeks. 

"I told you it's nothing, " Jaemin faked a chuckle, dismissing the topic once again. 

Renjun didn't normally use the art of guilt-tripping on her boyfriend. It wasn't morally correct, per her standards. Not to mention that guilt tripping her boyfriend would involve acting cute, and Renjun hated acting cute. 

But then, there were situations when Renjun have no other option other than to do the things she hated. She puffed her cheeks and pouted at Jaemin, while giving him the best puppy eyes she could give. Jaemin cooed at her before squishing her cheeks with his palms. "Cutie! "

Renjun endured her cheeks being abused by adoring fingers even if the pinches borderline painful. He let Jaemin have his fun until finally, she pulled Jaemin's fingers away from his face. 

"Will you finally tell me what this panicking and pouring spaghetti sauce on yourself is all about, or will my cheeks bruise for nothing? "

"They wouldn't bruise, " Jaemin replied, pouting once again. "But fine. Since you asked nicely, I'm going to tell you. But don't blame me if it's boring, okay? "

"I'm all ears, " she said, hugging a throw pillow to her chest. 

"So remember that phone you lost? "

Renjun nodded. 

"Remember how you told me not to look for it, because you believe that there's absolutely no chance that I'll be able to find it? "

Renjun nodded again. If her theories were right, that she had lost it in the dark alley, then there was almost no chance that anyone with a good heart would pick it up. Chances were, if somebody picked it up, that person would just extort money from her for an old phone she was already planning to change. 

"Well, I found it, " Jaemin said. 

"You did?"

"I guess? " Jaemin replied, causing Renjun to squint at him. "I mean, I don't have it yet, but I already got in touch with the person who has it. "

"You what? " she exclaimed. "Why? I mean, I already told you not to. "

"I know, " Jaemin nodded sheepishly. "Still, you might have some important information saved on your phone. I texted your number the moment you told me you lost it. I didn't get any reply until today. "

"And? " she asked, sensing that what had gone wrong was within the reply that he received. 

"And you might have been right about your phone being in the wrong hands. "

Renjun snorted. "I knew it. How much was that person asking for my really old phone? "

"That's the weird part, " Jaemin said, taking the throw pillow away from her, to put his head on her lap. "He was asking for a person and not money. "

He was asking for a person. 

To Renjun, that sounded like an instant red flag, and while she didn't want to assume for the worst, she couldn't help but think about the worst possible scenario that she didn't even want to think about. 

"Weird, right? " Jaemin chuckled. "I mean, why would they ask for someone else when I already told them that the person who owns the phone is Huang Renjun. "

"Jaemin? " her boyfriend hummed in acknowledgement. "What's the name of the person they're asking about? "

"Why are you even asking? " Jaemin asked. "It's not like you actually really know about him, right? These are just pranks that shouldn't be taken seriously. "

"Still, I'm curious, " she said, controlling her voice to not sound too nervous. "What's the name of the person they're asking for? "

Jaemin shrugged. "If you insist. His name is… Dong Sicheng. "

Jaemin laughed amusedly, ignorant of the fact that Renjun was on the verge of collapsing out of dread. 

"You know what else is funny? "

"What? " she asked, her throat constricting as she spoke. 

"The person said that he's going to kill me if I don't tell them where Dong Sicheng is. " Jaemin laughed once more, still clueless of the seriousness of the matter. "What a prank, right? "

●●●

"Do I really have to stay at home, all day? " Jaemin asked Renjun from the other line, as the latter held her phone to her ear with one hand while using the other hand to put back her notes in her bag. 

"You said so yourself, you don't have a class today. Why not just stay home? "

Jaemin whined. "Is this still about the prank message I received? Come on. You can't be taking that seriously. It's just a prank! "

It wasn't just a prank, she wanted to correct, but she still didn't know how to explain everything to Jaemin. If she should explain it to Jaemin. What if doing so would make it so much worse? 

"Just… just stay there for a while. At least until I speak with Jeno. "

"What does this have to do with Jeno? "

"Nothing! " she smacked her head with her own palm. The nerves was getting the better of her. 

"Oh, right. I guess you just miss him, huh? "

There was a teasing tone on Jaemin's voice, and she wished she could humor him. Yes, she miss Jeno, but right now, she's worried about everything to even talk about her crush. 

Jeno hadn't contacted her, yet, so she decided to contact him instead by calling speed dial number one, like he said. He didn't pick up. It was stuck on dialling. She repeated the process over and over again, in hopes that Jeno would pick his phone up. He didn't, and Renjun had no other choice but to stop trying and go straight to her class, when Professor Moon approached her, asking her what was wrong and why she wasn't in class, yet. The last thing she needed, in the middle of being involved with gang problems, was to be scolded by one of her professors by being late in class. 

So the fact remained that she had no clue how Jeno was doing. Even though Doyoung himself assured her that Jeno was fine, the fact that he was out of sight made Renjun think thar his injury was more serious than Doyoung made it out to be. 

And then there's this person threatening Jaemin through her old number, asking him about Dong Sicheng, when Jaemin was even more clueless about him than Renjun himself. 

What had she gotten Jaemin into? 

"Injunnie, are you still there? "

Renjun snapped out of her thoughts as Jaemin's concerned voice called to her. "Are you really that nervous about it? Fine. If it will make you feel better, then I guess I'll just stay home. I'll lock the door, and the windows. Oh, and I'll call the police when something bad happens. Happy? "

Renjun sighed. 

"Jaem, I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I know, " Jaemin chuckled. 'You love me too much. I love you, too. Now stop worrying and focus on your lecture. Isn't it about to start already? "

Renjun pulled away from her phone to check the time. She had two minutes to get to her next class, which would take place in the different building. She face-palmed. 

"Right. I love you, too, Jaem. Stay safe! "

"You too! "

Renjun ended the call. 

Renjun contemplated skipping her next class. It's not like she could focus on it with all the worries she had in mind. 

She should just, maybe go to the headquarters to check on Jeno. There would be nothing suspicious about that, right? Just a Chinese girl visiting her favorite candy shop. No big deal, right? 

Or maybe she should just go back home and be with Jaemin. Granted that she was just a small girl with noodle arms, but at least, unlike Jaemin, she was more prepared of what was about to come their way, unlike Jaemin, who was completely clueless about the so-called prank. 

To Jeno or to Jaemin? 

Why was it hard to choose? 

Why was life so hard? 

She grumpily stomped to the door. Whatever! She would just decide once she reached the gate. 

Just when she was about to grab the handle, the door opened, to reveal one of the persons she definitely didn't want to see at that moment. 

●●●

Yangyang's eyes were angry as he stared at Renjun. With his every step forward, Renjun moved backward in fear. Yangyang shut the door behind him. 

This wasn't going to end well, Renjun thought as he immediately called speed dial number one. Once again, nobody picked it up. She was about to call Doyoung, because she remembered him offering to help her, in case Jeno wasn't available. But just as she was about to press call, Yangyang had already snatched her phone out of her hands, and threw it on the floor. 

"Hey, that's new! " she said while crossing her arms and pretending that she's not afraid, even when the only thing she wanted to do was to scream for help. 

"I don't care! " Yangyang screamed back, causing her to flinch. "Where are Lucas and Guanheng? What did you do to them? "

Renjun scoffed, pretending to be tough as she racked her mind for a way to escape. 

"First, you asked me about Dong Sicheng. Now, about Yukhei and Guanheng. What am I too you? A lost and found counter? "

Yangyang threw a chair against the white board, causing Renjun to yelp. Hopefully, it would alert anybody outside that something wrong was going inside the room. 

"Don't test my patience, lady! I want my friends back! Where are they? "

Yangyang sounded desperate, and if Renjun would look into his eyes, she would see the tears threatening to fall down his cheeks, and the fear which was masked by his anger. 

"Did you check their place? " 

"Will I be asking you, if I haven't, yet? They're gone! They're gone, and you're the only possible reason why they're missing! "

"Hey, what makes you so sure about that? What if they just don't want to be friends with you, anymore? " 

"You kidnapped them! "

"Excuse me? " she scoffed. "What makes you think I'm capable of kidnapping two guys larger than me? "

"If it's not you, then it's your gang members. Maybe Mark or Jeno. I haven't seen them in a while. I haven't seen them since Yukhei and Guanheng have gone missing. What did you do to them? "

"I don't know what you're talking about, " she said, trying to move past him, only to be shoved to a chair. 

Renjun winced as her back collided with the wooden chair. 

"If you don't… if you don't give me my friends back, then I'll … " Yangyang's eyes were wavering as he stared down at Renjun. "I'll kill you. "

Renjun gasped. "Wait! " she said, putting her hands in the air." Let's talk! "

"The only talking we will do is you telling me where my friends are! "

Yangyang retrieved a knife from his pocket, and held it up with shaky hands. 

"Tell me, " He said, advancing towards Renjun. "Tell me where my friends are or I'll kill you!"

Renjun gulped nervously as she shut her eyes to pray. She could feel sweat trickling on her temples as she tried to find ways to escape the situation. What could she possibly do? 

"Really? " Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed inside the room as the door was pushed open behind Yangyang, catching both of them by surprise. "Are you sure it's not your life that's going to end here, Liu Yangyang? "

●●●

The moment that Yangyang turned around, his forehead immediately met with the tip of Jeno's gun. His shaky hands were unable to hold on to his knife as it fell to the ground with loud sound. 

"What do you want, Liu Yangyang? " Jeno asked, pressing his gun to the other guy's forehead further as Renjun winced in fear. 

"I just want my friends back, " Yangyang said, half choking, and half crying. "I know you took them! "

Renjun looked at Jeno to gauge his reaction. He looked confused aas confused as she was. 

Jeno kicked the knife towards Renjun's direction, urging her to pick it up, which she did so, with shaky and clammy hands. 

Jeno walked forward, gun still aimed at Yangyang, as he made his way to stand in front of Renjun protectively. 

"We have no idea what you're talking about, " Jeno said calmly. 

"But it could only be you! " Yangyang accused. "The moment I asked her about Dong Sicheng, my friends started disappearing! "

"Coincidence, maybe? " she supplied, causing Yangyang's face to turn sour. 

"Who are you working for, Yangyang? " Jeno asked. 

"I'm not working for anybody, " Yangyang denied. 

"You're not in the position to lie, " Jeno reminded him. "Who are you working for, and why are you looking for Dong Sicheng? "

"I just want to meet him! I just want to meet him, that's all! " Yangyang hysterically exclaimed as he collapsed to the floor, crying. "I just want to meet him! I didn't realize that by searching for him, I could lose my only real friends! "

Jeno and Renjun shared eye contact, surprised and confused at Yangyang's reaction. She got up and walked forward despite the pain on her back, only for Jeno to block her way. 

"Careful, " Jeno warned and Renjun understand. After all, this was the person who was threatening her earlier. 

"Yangyang, " Renjun tried to speak in a gentle voice while maintaining his distance. "We really don't know where your friends are. "

"But, " Yangyang tried to argue. "Where are they? "

Jeno finally put down his gun before answering. "Look, there are a lot of people looking for Dong Sicheng, and just by joining the search, you're definitely putting your life in danger. I don't know why you're looking for him, anyway, but just by doing so, you're attracting the attention of many. Many who would not hesitate to kill you if you get in their way. "

"Are you saying that I put my friends in danger? " Yangyang asked, his face filled with dread. 

"What do you think? " Jeno asked back. 

Jeno held Renjun by the hand to guide her out of the room as Yangyang remained on the floor to wallow in guilt. 

"Piece of advice, " Jeno said before closing the door behind them. "If you know what's best for you, stay away from our business. "

●●●

"Are you sure you're okay? " Jeno asked her again as he lead Renjun out of the university grounds. "We could go back to our hide out if you're not. Jungwoo's a good doctor. Technically, he's not a real doctor, but he's still good. Are you sure you're not hurt at all? "

Jeno had been asking her over and over again the same thing eversince they left. He was entirely different from the Jeno that rescued Renjun earlier. That Jeno was tough and a little scary, while this Jeno was the same soft and sweet Jeno who lived with Renjun and Jaemin. Renjun liked this version Jeno but she got to admit, the Jeno earlier was hot. 

But that's not supposed to be her priority. 

"I'm fine, " she answered once again. "You, you weren't answering your phone. I got worried. Are you okay? "

There was still a bandage wrapped around Jeno's head. Other than that, Renjun could not see anymore physical manifestation of his injury. But she wasn't a nursing student like Jaemin, so she wasn't quite sure how hurt Jeno could be. 

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt," Jeno replied, pointing at his head, before looking at her in confusion. "You didn't call me. " 

This time, it was Renjun's turn to be surprised. "I did, " she insisted as Jeno lead him to a car. 

A car? 

Don't they usually take the bus? 

Why the sudden change? 

"You didn't," Jeno replied with certainty. "I waited, but you didn't contact me. "

"I did, " she insisted as Jeno fastened her seatbelt for her. "I kept calling speed dial number one, like you told me. "

Jeno deadpanned before smiling sheepishly in realization. "Oh that… that's not my number. "

"What? "

"That's our emergency number, " Jeno answered just as he started the car. "It will alert whoever in the team is near you. Sorry, I should have explained that clearly. Did anyone approached you during those times? "

Renjun shook her head. "No one. No one except Professor Moon. Wait…" Renjun turned to Jeno in surprise. "Is he…"

Jeno nodded. "He's one of us, but he's a hidden card. One who doesn't participate much in our business, unless really needed. "

No wonder he looked so angry after reaching Renjun and finding out that there was no emergency. He revealed his identity to Renjun for nothing, although to be fair, had Jeno not explained who he was, he would still be just Professor Moon to her. 

Seriously, how many more of the people around her had side jobs?

"Wait, is there an emergency? " Jeno asked her as he turned to a different direction from the path that would lead them back to the apartment. 

At that, Renjun was reminded of the reason why she had been desperate to get in touch with Jeno, aside of course from the fact that she was concerned about him as well. 

"It's Jaemin, " she replied. 

"Was he… was he already suspecting me? "

Renjun shook her head before realizing that Jeno was too busy keeping his eyes on the road to notice. "It's not that. I'm sure that he's still clueless as to what you do for a living."

Jeno breathed a sigh in relief. "Then what's the problem? "

"There are people texting him, asking him where Dong Sicheng is. "

Jeno stepped on the break harshly. 

"W-what? " he immediately turned to Renjun. "Why? And how? "

"Remember the phone I lost? " she reminded him. "Some people who're after you for Dong Sicheng picked it up and reached Jaemin through it. Now their threatening Jaemin as well. Jeno, will Jaemin be safe? "

"Shit, " Jeno muttered under his breath. "Hold on tight Renjun, we have to get to him fast. "

"Jeno what's wrong? "

"Haechan has been kidnap, for real this time and they left a note that Haechan would die if we don't give them Dong Sicheng fast. "

"But I thought Dong Sicheng is dead? "

"That's not important. What's more important is that we get to Jaemin before they could get him as well. "


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't able to post an update for more than a month. Sorry about that. I will be working hard to finish the remaining chapters soon.

Renjun felt Jeno's hands squeezing her own as they rushed up the stairs towards their unit. Both of them didn't have the patience to wait for the elevator. They had to get to Jaemin as fast as they could. 

"He's safe, right? " she asked, merely just to get an assurance. "There's no reasons for him not to be! "

"Yes," Jeno replied. "He's most definitely safe."

But they both knew that none of them were sure. If someone like Haechan who's at least aware of what's going on could be abducted, then someone as clueless as Jaemin could be an easier target. 

Poor Jaemin! He's not even aware about the danger that might be coming his way. 

"I… I'm really sorry, " Jeno apologized as they run towards the hall leading to their unit. "It's my fault. If it's not for me, then you and Jaemin…"

"Jeno, please!" Renjun really didn't want to listen to Jeno's apology at the moment, but it wasn't because she was blaming him. Contrary to that, she actually believed it's unfair for Jeno to start blaming himself since he really didn't do anything to harm them. In fact, the only reason why he's with them is because he tried to protect Renjun. Even now that he was still obviously injured, as indicated by the bandage around his head, he still chose to go out just so he could protect Jaemin and her. It wasn't Jeno's fault that there were some people out there who's kidnapping people in their search for a certain Dong Sicheng. 

She didn't want to acknowledge that Jeno was the cause of the danger, because once she did, then, wouldn't that mean they had to keep their distance from Jeno? That didn't feel right. She didn't want to worry about that when at the moment, she's still busy worrying about Jaemin. 

They finally reached their unit. Both of them stood too close to the door as they tried to listen to whatever was going on inside. Nothing. There were no shouting nor screaming so Jaemin must be safe, right? 

But what if they already took him? Oh no! 

Jeno took the keys from her shaking hands before pushing her behind him just in case. Slowly and cautiously, Jeno turned the knob and pushed the door open. 

Renjun had never been relieved to see her boyfriend sitting comfortably on the chair by the dining table with his headset on while watching something on his laptop. She immediately jumped inside to engulf him in a bone crushing hug as she planted herself on his lap. 

Jaemin jumped in surprise and immediately removed his headset before placing an arm on her back. 

"Hi baby? Did you miss me this much? " He asked while chuckling before finally turning to Jeno. "Oh, hi Jeno. I see, you finally meet each other again. So did you two finally— oh my God! What happened to your head? "

Renjun heard Jeno pulling out a chair to sit down. "Long story, " Jeno replied. "Can you show me the message you've been receiving from Renjun's number before? "

"Eh? " Jaemin sounded confused. He pushed Renjun away slightly enough, just so he could look at her. "Injunnie, did you bother Jeno over that text? I told you it's no big deal. It's just a prank!"

Renjun shook her head. "Just show it to him, please. "

Jaemin looked conflicted, but nonetheless took his phone from the table and passed it to Jeno. "Okay. If it will make you feel better. "

Jeno took his phone out too and began typing hurriedly, only for him to pause and look at Renjun. 

"Maybe you should start packing? "

Oh, right. She should hurry. She immediately pulled herself off of her boyfriends lap. 

"Packing? " Jaemin sounded even more confused. "Aren't we overreacting? It's just a harmless text, isn't it? " But Renjun didn't listen to him. She just continued to place hers and her boyfriend's clothes on the luggage. 

"Am I missing something? "

Jaemin wouldn't be picky with her choices, right? After all, Renjun had a feeling that she and her boyfriend wouldn't be going out of Jeno's gang's hide out so fashion wasn't a top priority. 

"Are you two keeping something from me? "

Maybe she should include Jaemin's favorite pyjamas. They're comfortable. He would probably need it just in case he get scare. 

Renjun struggled to zip their luggage, but when she did, she immediately turned to Jeno. "We're ready to leave. "

Jeno just nodded before placing both phones inside his own bag. "Okay. Let's leave. "Jeno took the luggage from her and went straight for the door, only to be blocked by Jaemin.

"Jaemin, what are you doing? We have to leave fast! " But Jaemin just stared back at her with that stubborn expression on his face that Renjun knew too well. One that was saying that he wouldn't budge until he finally got what he wanted. 

"Jaemin, please, just listen to us. "

"No! "

Renjun sighed. "Please understand, we really need to leave right now. "

"That's the thing. I don't understand! How can I when both of your are refusing to answer my questions directly. I… I am just so confused. Why are you two panicking? Why does Jeno have a bandage around his head? What's going on? Why isn't anyone telling me? "

Renjun rarely even hear Jaemin complain over anything, but when he did, it was mostly because, he felt that he was being treated unfairly. Renjun realized that she and Jeno were really being unfair by not answering his questions and expecting him to just go along and follow their plans. That they were being inconsiderate about the anxiety that they're bringing to Jaemin by not giving him a proper explanation for their actions. She then turned to Jeno, who immediately understood what she needed to do. "He should finally know. But you have to hurry. I want to get both of you safe, fast. "

●●●

Jaemin's eyes were wide as soon as Renjun finished summarizing everything that had happened recently. Renjun had to push the glass of water that Jeno had kindly provided for her boyfriend towards Jaemin's hand, which he immediately drank in order to overcome his shock. 

"So what you're trying to say is that Jeno isn't just a normal student but a member of a gang? "

"Yes. "

"And that the reason why you're fake dating each other is not because he's being teased about not having a girlfriend but because you witnessed one of his gangmates committing a crime. "

"It wasn't like that, " Jeno interjected. "Mark-hyung was just protecting himself. But yes. "

"And the reason why you have to stay here with us because someone is targeting your members and anyone close to any of you, in their search for Dong Sicheng? "

"Yes, " Renjun and Jeno both answered. 

"Wow, " Jaemin said breathlessly. "That's fantastic. "

Renjun reached out to brush Jaemin's hair. "I know that it's all too much to take in, but I hope you'll believe us. "

"Of course I believe you, " Jaemin replied immediately. "It's just… I'm just surprised. But then, it really make sense. "

"What make sense? " Jeno asked her boyfriend. 

"You… I mean your actions, like leaving at ungodly hours of the night, being cautious whenever you're answering your phone and being too secretive about a lot of things. And the fact that there are a lot of holes to everything that both of you had told me as an explanations. I mean, I always felt that there was something wrong. "

Renjun reached out to touch her boyfriend's hand. "Are you mad at me for keeping secrets from you? "

She would understand if ever Jaemin was. After all, their relationship was pretty much built on (aside from love of course) trust and honesty. Renjun sort of broke that unwritten agreement by not telling her boyfriend the truth about everything, especially since everything turned out to be more dangerous than Renjun expected it to be. 

"Please, don't be mad at her. "

Renjun looked at Jeno in time to see him looking guiltily at Jaemin. 

"I-it's my fault. I shouldn't have gotten close to her and got both of you in danger. Don't be mad at her, because she really loves you, and you're really good for each other. I'd hate to see you two break up and—"

"Whoa, slow down! " 

Jaemin held up a hand at Jeno. 

"No one's going to break up with anyone. Everybody calm down. I'm not mad at you, babe, and neither am I mad at you Jeno. "

"You are not?" She asked. Jaemin shook his head. 

"Well, I can understand why you wouldn't tell me. Honestly, if I was in your position, I think I will do the same. The less you know, the less dangerous life will be for you. Well, except in our current situation. I'm glad I know everything already, or else, I would probably be parading myself in the streets without any care, unaware of the lurking dangers behind my back. 

"And, Jeno, I don't have a reason to hate you as well. You technically saved my girlfriend's life by pretending to be her boyfriend. Besides, you could just abandon both us, you know, considering that if they got us, we wouldn't be able to give an important information about the person they are after. But here you are, still trying to protect us even when you're supposed to focus on your missing friend. Rather than being mad, I should be thankful, right? "

Jeno scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's nothing, really. It's not like I can leave both of you alone. Not when…"

Both Renjun and Jaemin looked at him in anticipation after he left his sentence hanging. Not when what? 

"Not when we are in a hurry to leave. We must go! I don't think we should still stay for the night. It will be dangerous to leave during the dark. "

Somehow, Renjun had a feeling that Jeno was going to say something else, but it wasn't like she had the luxury to ponder on that. Technically, they were still in danger so Renjun's focus should be on their survival other than the silly hopes and assumption that she had in mind. 

"So, uh, where are going? " Jaemin asked just as they were about to get up from their chair. 

"To our hide out. I mean, to another hide out. I'm pretty sure the former one should be surrounded by the enemies already, so, we already moved. "

"Wouldn't we be in trouble with your gang, since you know. You lied to them about your relationship. "

That had already slipped Renjun's mind, if it wasn't for Jaemin's reminder. Of course, they're going to have to face their wrath for lying. Most especially Jeno, since he somehow endangered all of them by allowing someone like Renjun to find out about them. 

Oh no! What if they hurt Jeno? Or worse kill him? They wouldn't do that would they? 

"I guess they'll be mad about it, but honestly, I cannot think of another place to take you where I can guarantee that you'll be safe. Between them and the enemies, I'm still more scared about the enemies. Besides, I don't think it would be their priority to dwell on whether we lied or not about our relationship. Not when we have those enemies. Not when we have to save a friend's life. "

Renjun could only hope he was right as all three of them stood up to leave their apartment unit, unsure of whether they could still return one day. 

●●●

It didn't take long for Renjun to know that she shouldn't be worrying about whether they could still return or what, when they weren't even sure if they could even leave the building safe and whole. 

There were a lot of sketchy people lurking outside the building, all of them stupidly wearing black leather jacket, making it obvious that they didn't come to do something for the good of the community. Their numbers were enough for the alarm bells in Renjun's head to start ringing.

She wasn't alone in thinking that way, because both Jeno and Jaemin looked panicked stricken as well. 

There were also a lot of these sketchy people lurking on the parking lot, so using the car that Jeno brought with him wasn't an option. 

Well, they were definitely screwed. 

"What do we do now? "

Renjun turned to Jeno who was busy typing away on his phone. She then turned to Jaemin for comfort and her boyfriend immediately pulled her close beside him. 

When Jeno was finished with whatever it was that he was doing on his phone, he finally turned to them to give them an instruction. "I think you're going to have to leave your luggage behind. "

Both she and her boyfriend turned to each other before shrugging. Who cares about the clothes when they're trying to run away for survival.

"I informed the others about what's happening so they're going to send someone to meet us at a pick up point. "

"The question is, how are we going to get to that pick up point?" Jaemin decided to point out, and Renjun had to agree. Riding the car was obviously out of the option, so how? 

"Which is why you have to leave your luggage behind. We should try to blend with everyone as much as we could in order to confuse and lose them. "

"So you mean, we have to walk out of there and risk getting seen by them? "

"I have a gun, " Jeno informed them. "So in case things get worse, I can fight back to protect you. But I'm still hoping that things wouldn't escalate to that point, which is why we have to be really careful. We should escape them as silently as possible. "

Getting out of the building was a little difficult, and not to mention, time consuming. They had to wait for a group of people to leave and pretend to belong in that group as they made their way to the exit. All throughout, Renjun's heart was hammering inside her chest as they nervously, but safely passed against a group of those questionable people. She sighed in relief once all three of them made it out in the open where a massive number of people trying to maneuver their way home duing rush hour welcomed them. 

There were safety in numbers and Renjun didn't have to worry. No one would be stupid enough to try anything in front of these people. 

Even so, it was still comforting to feel Jeno's tight grip around her wrist as reassurance that he wouldn't let her be snatched away by anybody. 

As much as she wanted to hold hands with Jaemin, as well, Jeno had insisted that he also needed to make sure that Jaemin would be safe and was therefore holding Jaemin's hand on the other side. It would have been romantic, it it weren't for the situation. 

Renjun was already feeing mildly relaxed as they walked further away from the apartment. So far, no one around them looked suspicious enough to be a kidnapper in disguise. 

According to Jeno, all they had to do now was to cross the street, and walk a few more meters before meeting Doyoung who would bring them to their new hide out. Then everything would be fine. Well, maybe not really, but at least, they'll feel safer. 

All they had to do was to cross the street. 

Renjun stared at the traffic light impatiently. What was taking so long? Weren't anyone aware that this was the first time that she was excited to see Doyoung? 

Finally, the lights switched, giving them the signal to finally cross the street. Something about the sea of people walking down on the pedestrian lane suddenly frightened her for some reason. She shouldn't be scared, right? There was safety in numbers. No one will try to do anything right here. They should all be safe. 

There just so much people walking in opposite direction, so much that it was inevitable to bump into a person or more, as all of them hurry on their way home. It was a pretty normal scenario during rush hour. Renjun had nothing to be scared off. 

It wasn't until Jeno's grip on her suddenly slipped as one person force his way between them that Renjun immediately panicked. She tried to reconnect their hands together immediately. 

But she was so small. There was nothing she could do to get past the wave of people who were pushing her distance away from the other two further apart. Before she knew it, Jeno and Jaemin were already out of her sight. She was on her own. 

Renjun tried her best to be brave at the situation. All she had to do was to cross the street and both Jeno and Jaemin would be waiting for her. 

She could do it! 

However, just as she was about to try and get pass the small space between this two really tall persons, Renjun suddenly felt a handkerchief being placed over her mouth and nose. She tried to resist but she didn't have much time to do before everything went black.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still here?

Renjun didn't woke up with a headache nor was she feeling disoriented like anyone would expect from someone who just woke up after falling asleep, presumably after being abducted in the middle of a crowd, of all places. 

She was abducted, right? She had to be. The room she was in wasn't familiar to her. Jeno and Jaemin could have managed to save her in time, but she highly doubted that those two would allow her to sleep on nothing but a cold tiled floor. 

Were Jeno and Jaemin safe? 

What if like her, the enemies were able to capture them as well? 

Renjun sat up immediately, overestimating her body's reaction to sudden movement. Well, that's the headache she was looking for. Glad to know that she wasn't on her own. And she realized she really wasn't from the very beginning. Jeno and Jaemin weren't in the room with her, but there was another person present beside her. The said person gasped at her sudden movement. 

"I didn't expect you to pull an Undertaker move on me the moment you wake up but okay, I guess. Congratulations on being alive. "

"H-haechan? "

The other girl's hair was a mess and her make up was smudged up, but there was no denying that she's the same girl from Jeno's group. 

"Congratulations! You don't have an amnesia. "

"Why are you here? " 

Haechan just rolled her eyes at her before stretching her long legs. "As much as I would like to say that I am the mastermind of everything, I thought it's pretty obvious that I am in the same situation as you, " she said while pointing at the really huge bruise on her forearm. 

Renjun gasped. "Oh my god! What did they do to you? "

Haechan shrugged. "That's what I get for putting up a fight with my abductors. I don't, you know, just fall asleep and be passive about everything. "

Renjun puffed her cheeks. Now was clearly not the time for such attitude, especially since she had a feeling that the two of them had to depend on each other for survival. No matter what, the two of them needed to escape. 

Renjun quickly scanned the room to find a way to escape. There was nothing but a door and a window which was too small to even fit any of them. 

She made her way towards the door. It was locked obviously. What was she expecting? Of course it was locked! Who in their right mind would be so careless and risk getting their prisoners escape? 

The window it is then, she mentally decided as she walked to the opposite direction. Renjun found it hard to push open the glass window while tiptoeing. Whoever thought that positioning a window that high was a good idea, was obviously discriminating cute-sized people like her, particularly cute-sized people who only wanted to escape. 

She hit the glass window with ber palm until the rusty sides managed to budge with an annoying sound. Finally! Still tiptoeing, Renjun took a deep breathe before screaming her lungs out. 

"Help! Anybody? Please! Help! We're being held here against our will! Help! "

Renjun couldn't even see through the window properly, so she had no idea which floor she was in. But there was no harm in trying, right? So she screamed repeatedly until the other person in the room decided to comment on her attempts. 

"The only thing that you're doing is alerting our kidnappers that you're awake. Don't come at me for not warning you once they come her to try and extract information from you. "

Renjun had enough. Here she was trying to do everything in order to save both of them, only for Haechan to give her an attitude that she didn't deserve to receive. Kidnapped or not, she wouldn't let anyone act like a bitch in front of her. 

She marched towards where the other girl was sitting before crossing her arms. "What's your problem? "

Haechan only looked at her with that face that was saying, "I don't have a problem but I bet you do" which irked her even more. 

"Look, I'm just trying to find a way to get us some help, and if you're not willing to join me, fine. But stop giving me that annoying attitude, it's not helping! "

Haechan just shrugged. "Okay then. Keep screaming. Let's see if it will get you anywhere. Anywhere outside this place. Do you think they'll be dumb to hide us in a place where we could get help easily? Were either on the top floor of a really high building, or in an abandoned one where no other people could have an access to. But it's up to you if you want to use up your energy screaming instead of conserving them."

Inhale. Exhale. Renjun needed to control her temper before both of them try to kill each other instead. It didn't matter that she was getting annoyed at the other girl. In the end, they only have each other to depend on in this situation. 

Besides, Haechan had a point. She was just probably wasting her energy in futile attempt to get noticed by bystanders, if ever there was any. Maybe Haechan had a plan, like maybe over-powering the kidnapper once on of them open the door? Steal their gun perhaps? Hostage the others? 

She wasn't sure if she'll be able to do any of that. She wasn't sure if she'd be brave enough to try. 

She sighed and tried to console herself with the thought that both Jeno and Jaemin were safe. They were safe, right? They had to be. There was no way that Jeno would let anything bad happen to Jaemin. 

But if they were safe, then their probably worried about her. Were they thinking about finding a way to save her? 

They probably were! Jaemin wouldn't give her up just like that. And Jeno… Jeno promised to protect her! He would do everything to save her, Renjun was sure! 

"Congratulations on burning up your limited fats while pacing in the room back and forth. Hurray! Who said that kidnapping can keep one person from working out? "

Renjun decided to let the other girl's sarcasm slide and not let Negative Nancy ruin her positivity. Instead, she decided to be the bigger person and sat beside her to apologize. 

"Sorry, " Renjun said. "I didn't mean to act so panicky. "

Haechan rolled her eyes but Renjun just ignored her. 

"And you're probably right. I should conserve my energy. Besides, the other's are probably worried and are planning to save us. Who knows if they're already on their way to find us? "

Haechan snorted. "Bold of you to assume that they're going to save us. "

Okay. Negative Nancy was really out to ruin every hope that Renjun had in terms of coming out alive from this situation. It's bad enough that Haechan was making remarks on her attempt, but it's even worse that she was crushing Renjun's only hope for surviving. 

"How can you say that? You've known them longer than I did! "

"Exactly, " the other girl replied nonchalantly. "Hence, I am sure that they wouldn't bother to go out of their way to save us. We're not one of them. We don't know anything about this Dong Sicheng that these people are looking for so we couldn't possibly reveal whatever secret they are desperately hiding from us. They are so not going to save us. They don't have a reason to. "

Renjun shook her head. 

"But Jeno promised me! "

"But Jeno is also not your real boyfriend, right? " Haechan reminded her with the harsh slap of reality. "See? It's not like he has a real reason to help you. Wake up. The only way that we could get out of here is to escape on our own. That, or we'll die here once they realize that there was nothing they could get from us. I highly suspect it's the latter, so if I were you, I wouldn't bother. It's over. "

●●●

Renjun didn't know how many hours had passed since she woke up. Not that they had anything that could help indicate the exact time, other than the light from the window which was slowly dimming as the sun set. 

The two of them had stay silent after their last conversation. Haechan, to conserve her energy, Renjun, because she didn't want to talk to Haechan anymore. 

Not after the things she said. Not after making her doubt whether Jeno would really go out of his way to save her. 

Everything that Haechan had told her was, well, true. They weren't part of their group, of their family. They were pretty much outsiders. Who were they even to be worthy of being saved? 

Besides, it wasn't like they knew a thing about the Dong Sicheng that the kidnappers were looking for. No matter how hard they try to squeeze out informations from them, they wouldn't be able to say a single thing other than, well, Sicheng is dead. 

Maybe? 

Renjun had a hunch that he wasn't, and that was just the explanation they were given because, well, they were outsiders who didn't get the privilege of knowing who the "famous" Dong Sicheng was. 

But that wasn't the point. 

The point was, she wasn't sure anymore if Jeno would really come and save her. 

Because they weren't even dating for real, and Jeno didn't like her the same way that she did. She was just a friend from long ago whom Jeno had tried to return a favor to, and if that was his only attention, Renjun felt like he already did enough to repay her. Jeno didn't need to exert effort to save her and risk compromising his family. 

Of course, there's Jaemin, but if it was up to Renjun, she would much rather prefer if her boyfriend would stay out of everything and just save himself. The last thing that Renjun wanted was for her boyfriend to act like a knight and shining armor in a not so fairytale like rescue operation. 

Because no, Jaemin wouldn't be battling with witches. He would be facing gang members who wouldn't hesitate to harm him in many ways that Renjun would rather not imagined. 

She could only wish that Jaemin was safe even if she wasn't. At least one of them would live, right? 

She groaned. Why was she being negative? It was all because of Haechan. Surely, there's a way to survive all of these, right? There had to be a way. 

Renjun barely heard the door being unlocked and she froze on the ground. She wasn't sure how to react. To her side, she could faintly make out Haechan standing up with determination. Was she… was she planning to attack who ever was behind the door? 

Renjun gulped. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Would it work? 

Whatever. They had to try. There's two of them anyway. Renjun prepared to launch at the opponent the same way that Haechan was preparing. If they were lucky, maybe they could over power them and run away to safety. 

Or maybe not. 

As soon as they made their way to the open door and tried to push their way pass the two really tall people, they were immediately sent flying to the floor. 

Maybe Renjun shouldn't have declined Jaemin's invitation to have her join him in gym sessions in the past. She could really use extra strength at the moment. Groaning, she tried to get up from her pitiful position. 

"There goes our plan to at least provide you dinner, " one of them angrily spat. 

"It's fine. We don't eat craps for dinner. "

Renjun immediately wanted to face-palm as one of the goons immediately marched towards Haechan's direction, only for the other one to stop him. 

"We still need them alive. "

The other one grumbled as Haechan continued to provoke him with her stare. Seriously, what in the world was she even thinking? 

"Fine. So did you two already thought about giving us Dong Sicheng's whereabouts? "

There goes the same question again. The same question that Renjun still didn't have an answer to. Maybe, one day, she'll try to figure out where this Dong Sicheng was and find him, only to tell him how he unknowingly endangered Renjun's life. 

Maybe. If Haechan would be able to close her mouth and not provoke the kidnappers to kill them on the spot. 

"Do I look like the fucking Chinese Embassy to you? "

"You whore! "

Renjun covered her mouth as a fist collided with Haechan's head. The force sent her to a wall where she knocked her head with a loud hit. Renjun watched as Haechan's eyes rolled back and her entire body collapsed on the floor. 

"Now, now, " the other goon pushed his angry companion behind him before the latter could walked towards Renjun's direction. "Pretty girl, you wouldn't want to be like your friend, right? "  
Renjun gulped as she crawled backwards in desperation to get away from their kidnappers. 

"Why don't you play nice and just give us the information we need from you? "

Renjun wanted to tell them to fuck off because he had no idea who this Dong Sicheng was. But then, she reminded herself that she shouldn't do what Haechan did earlier. Instead, she tried to control her breathing as she shut her eyes close. 

Stay calm. She had to stay calm or she might lose consciousness. She needed to stay awake. No matter what, she should stay awake. 

"No? " the person asked before sighing. "If you are thinking that your friends are going to try and save you, you are mistaking. We already informed them about both of you but none of them seems willing to give us what we need in exchange for your life. Are you sure you still wouldn't want to betray them, yet? "

It wasn't like Renjun could betray them anyway. Again, she had no idea who Dong Sicheng was. But would she betray them if ever she knew? Renjun swallowed hard. Everyone had been nice to her, especially Jeno. Would she really dare to give away their secret to save herself? 

But then again, maybe Haechan was right. Maybe they really didn't have the intention of saving them. Maybe they wouldn't give a thought about them dying. 

Fuck, what was she even thinking? 

Stay calm, Renjun. Stay calm. 

"How about this, " the goon said again. "You only have until morning to stay alive. It's either your friends will save you, or you'll save yourself. Think about it. "

"And while you're at it, " the other one said. "Start saying goodbye to your friend over there. I have a feeling that I wouldn't be able to hold of from killing her till morning. "

And with that, they left once again. Renjun allowed herself to let out the tiny whimpers she had been holding inside. 

This was it. This was how she's going to die. 

●●●

Renjun stirred in her nap as she felt a movement on her lap. 

Good. At least she knew that Haechan was still alive. For how much longer, Renjun wasn't sure anymore. 

"Are we dead yet? " Haechan asked after groaning. A massive headache, Renjun presumed. 

"Not yet. But not for long. They said we only have until morning to live. We either confess to them what we know or wait till the others do it themselves. The first option is already impossible and the second one is…"

Her voice finally broke as her words turned to sobs. She never considered herself to be a crybaby but she felt like one at the moment. And she was very much entitled to feel that way. Fucking hell. She's going to die! 

"Fuck, are you crying? " Haechan groaned as she got up to check on Renjun in total darkness. "Hey, are you okay? What a dumb question. Of course you aren't! "

Renjun sobbed even more as Haechan gathered her in her arms in a comforting hug. How pathetic. Haechan probably had a concussion or other head injury but she ended up comforting Renjun instead. All because she was a scared-y cat. All because she was going to die! 

"They're going to kill us. They're going to kill us and no one is going to come and save us. We're going to die! "

Haechan rubbed her back as she continued to sob pathetically. 

"Hey, calm down. I'm sure we can make it out alive here. "

Renjun shook her head. 

"No. We'll die! We wouldn't be able to escape and no one is going to save us. "

She heard Haechan sighed. 

"Hey, stay calm! Jeno will do everything to save you!"

"But you said—"

"I know what I said! " Haechan interrupted before sighing once again. She brushed her hand on Renjun's hair. "Sorry. I— I shouldn't have said that. It's just that that devil and I, well, I sort of projected our relationship on Jeno and you. But I assure you, Jeno would stop at nothing to save you. "

"But I am not his real girlfriend! " She reminded the other girl. "He doesn't love me for real. "

Haechan gently pushed away, presumably to meet her eyes, which was difficult to do in the darkness. "You are so dense, aren't you? Jeno has been secretly in love with you for so long! "


	11. Chapter 11

Renjun really wished that she could see Haechan's expression at the moment, so that she could check if the other girl was just lying to appease her, but their kidnappers weren't kind enough to provide them light. 

So, was Haechan telling the truth? She said that Jeno had been in love with her for quite a long time already and Renjun didn't get why. 

"I never expected to confess on Jeno's behalf, but oh well. I guess he really— desperately— needs my help. To set things straight, Jeno has been in love with you since you were young, you know? Childhood friends and all. "

But that was impossible! Jeno didn't even share word with her back then. 

"Well, at first, it was just a crush, I think? " Haechan added. "I mean, he looked cute while gushing over the fact that he found you again, you know, back when you and that devil-wears-leather-jacket shared a class. "

"You mean Mark? "

"I mean that devil-wears-leather-jacket. Yeah. Him. But anyway, Jeno was elated that he found the pretty angel who kept him fed in middle school. But like, he didn't know how to approach you. He's a shy person, if you haven't noticed yet. That and the fact that you didn't seem to recognize him. "

This time, Renjun was thankful that Haechan couldn't see her blush in embarassment. 

"He… He looked different. Entirely different. "

"Well yeah. Mar— I mean devil-wears-leather-jacket told me that Jeno was skin and bones when Doyoung first took him in. Who would have thought he could grow up hot? But anyway, you didn't seem to recognize him so he decided not to approach you because well, gang stuff. You know that 'you'll be better of without me' mindset. Yes, that annoying one. That's what he believes in. So he was just pinning for you from afar, taking pictures of you in the library when you're not looking. "

Renjun coughed. Why did that sound so familiar? 

"Remember when he didn't want to lend you his phone? Well that's because he didn't want you to see his wallpaper, which happened to be your picture. "

Nope. Haechan was definitely making things up to make her feel better. 

"I saw his phone and his wallpaper. It's the Eiffel Tower. "

"When? Days after that encounter? Of course he'll change it! You shot him down when you said you already have a boyfriend. "

"But that's irrelevant! My boyfriend likes him, too! "

She clamped her mouth a little too late. Did she just outed her boyfriend without his consent? Oh no! That was a big no no. Not to mention, she just sort of insinuated the possibility of including Jeno in their relationship. Haechan probably found them weird already. 

"Oh. My. God. "

"Hey, it's not that bad! " she tried to explain. "You don't have the right to judge us about our relationship and our sexuality. You don't even know us! "

"Hey, chill out! I'm not judging you because of that. Maybe because you're a little dumb? I mean both you and Jeno? Please don't tell me that you were holding yourself back from confessing to him because of that? Because you think he'll find you weird? "

Renjun swallowed thickly. "Yes? "

"Oh. My. God. " the other girl said in disbelief. "Scratch that. You're not a little stupid. You are stupid! "

"Hey, stop insulting me! "

But Haechan just ignored her. "You're stupid! Almost everyone is dating everyone in our— I mean their family! So, why would he find it weird? "

"What? " Renjun asked in disbelief. 

"You heard me! Jaehyun is dating Jungwoo and Taeyong, Taeyong is dating not only them but also Johnny. But Johnny is also dating Ten. Taeil and Yuta, you probably don't know them yet, are dating each other but they also want to date Simon, which isn't weird because they all want a piece Simon. The only people who weren't involve were Jeno and devil-wears-leather-jacket, because they're their kids; Kun, because he's a saint who's crushing on his cute helper in the candy shop; and, Doyoung because he already have a stick shoved up his ass. "

Renjun was at lost for word. "Y-you're not making this up, right? "

Haechan grumbled. "I can't believe you didn't notice. "

"I only met most of you once! "

"True, " Haechan quickly accepted. "But still, I can't believe this. I mean, you both feel the same way but you're both kind of stupid. I don't know whether to envy your relationship or to pity you. I wish that both of you would just kiss and make out. "

"You mean make up? " she tried to correct the other girl. 

"Make out, " Haechan insisted. "You know, being hot while kissing and touching each other? Have sex? Just fucking get in a relationship, both of you! "

"But… I have a boyfriend, " she tried to remind the other girl gently. "I can't just break up with my boyfriend because of Jeno. I… I love Jaemin so much. "

Haechan huffed angrily. "I know you can't see me right now, but just to let you know, I'm rolling my eyes and judging you real hard."

"You can't judge me for not wanting to break up with my boyfriend! "

"It's not that, you dummy! " Haechan sighed again. "Here's the thing. His wallpaper on his computer at home— I mean their home— used to be your picture but he recently changed it. With what? I bet you'll be surprised. It's the photo of you and your boyfriend which he secretly took because you both look good. Individually and together. "

"And what is that supposed to—"

Wait. 

Oh, no. 

Oh, yes! 

That could only mean one thing, right? 

"Are you telling me that Jeno is interested in my boyfriend? But… but he gives off straight vibe to me. "

Haechan huffed once again. "Again, I am rolling my eyes and judging you real hard. Why are you so judgemental? But then again, Jeno gave me that vibe, too. I guess your boyfriend might be really special then? So there. You all like each other, be Peter, Paul and Mary, be happy! Kiss! Make out! Do everything! You guys are so frustrating. " Haechan huffed once again. "I can't believe we talked about relationships in this situation. "

Oh. 

Right. 

They were still kidnapped and nearing their death, and Renjun had the audacity to think about whether the three of them could work out a relationship. How pathetic. At least, maybe the two of them would keep each other company once Renjun was gone. 

Renjun felt Haechan reaching out to squeeze her hand. "Hey. I'm really sorry about earlier. Jeno loves you, so I believe he will make sure he'll save you. "

Renjun could only hope she's right.. "Maybe Mark will come and save you, too? "

Haechan snorted. "Nah. Highly unlikely. We're not even dating. Like, I'm just a cat to him, you know. A cat he picked up on the street that he could abandon anytime he wants to. "

That's kind of sad. Renjun didn't know how to comfort her. As much as she wanted to comfort her by saying that Mark was probably not thinking about her like that, she wasn't sure if she should, especially since she hardly even know anything about Mark. She just squeezed back the other girl's hand. 

"Maybe Jeno would come and save both of us then? "

Haechan chuckled. "Yeah. Maybe."

●●●

They fell asleep once again, this time, with Renjun resting her head on Haechan's shoulder. Somehow, the hope that Jeno would, maybe, come and save them comforted her and lured her to a short-lived nap. 

But the nap was short-lived, and was interrupted by the sounds of gunshots ringing all over the entire building. 

Renjun could feel her every muscle shaking with each deafening shot. She covered her ears but it was futile to shield her from the noise. She didn't know what exactly was happening outside the room, but the screams and and gunshots were only feeding his fears. 

Renjun didn't want to die. She wanted to go home and go back to the people she loves. She wanted to survive, but how in the world was she going to do that? 

She yelped when she felt and arm wrapping around her, only to realized the it was just Haechan who shuffled closer to her and enveloped her in a hug. Loud footsteps echoed outsides. 

The gunshots drew near with as the footsteps grew closer. Renjun could almost see death looming over them. 

At last the footsteps stopped right outside their door. There was a brief moment of silence before the people outside began banging on he door loudly to break it open. Renjun cried out with every sound as she buried her face on Haechan's shoulder. She could hear the the other girl's heart beating in the same rhythm as her own. 

With one last push coming from the outside, the door fell open with a loud thud. She let uncontrollably let out a whimper as she heard her abductors coming inside. 

Renjun held on to the other girl tightly, unable to think of what else to do. She didn't want to face those men. She didn't want to face death. 

Renjun waited. She waited for that dreadful laugh and one last negotiation. With each second passing by, her heart just wanted to stop beating. 

Even with her eyes close, she noticed the sudden brightness in the room as a flashlight was aimed at their direction. She expected to hear the mocking over their pitiful position, and other demeaning words. It took her completely by surprise to hear none of those, as the voice that she heard was one that's filled with kindness and worry. 

"Renjun! "

Renjun recognized the voice immediately even before the owner shone the light in himself an don the other person who was with him. 

Jeno. 

Renjun found it hard to believe. She wondered if she was just hallucinating or dreaming everything. But Jeno looked so real. His voice sounded so real. Even when her legs felt jelly, she tried to stand to and go to him. She almost fell on the process, but Jeno was quick to catch her. 

"Oh, god, I'm so glad you're safe!" Jeno exclaimed once he had her in his arms. "I wouldn't know what to do if ever I lost you! I'm sorry! I should have hold on to you tighter! I shouldn't have let them take you! I'm sorry, Renjun! I'm really sorry! Because of me, you suffered. Because of me, Jaemin has been crying for hours! '

"Jaemin! " she quickly exclaimed upon hearing her boyfriend's name. "Where is he? Is he safe? "

"He is, " Jeno reassured her as he pulled away. "He's with Kun and Jungwoo. They'll keep him safe. But you— "

"I'm fine!" She quickly replied to ease Jeno's worry. She wasn't, but Jeno was there. She's going to be okay. "I'm okay. Don't worry. "

"I don't feel fine, " Haechan said all of a sudden, making them remember that that they weren't the only person in the room. "Thank you for asking. And stop aiming the flashlight on me, you devil! "

The other person who came with Jeno clicked his tongue. Renjun's fear-stricken mind belatedly realized it was Mark when he finally spoke for the first time. "We have to leave. " 

"If you're in a hurry, fine, " Haechan replied in a slightly irritated manner and with a hit of sarcasm. "Don't mind us. I'm kind of comfortable right here, you know? " 

Mark grumbled to himself before he moved pass Jeno and her and went straight to Haechan and picked rr up from floor. 

"Well, fuck! " Haechan exclaimed in surprise. "What if I have broken bones? "

"Do you? " Mark asked back immediately, worry evident in his voice. 

"I… I don't. Why are you even asking as if you cared? "

Mark didn't give her answer anymore. Instead, he turned back to Jeno to give the younger an instruction. "We have to leave. This place is about to blow up, soon. "

Jeno nodded at the older. "Just a minute, hyung. I just have one last thing to tell her. You can…"

Mark quickly understood. "Make it quick. "

Mark exited the room soon taking Haechan along with him as Jeno and Renjun remained. The gunshots stopped ringing, and the place was eerily silent. 

The room was already illuminated, not only by the flashlight, discarded on the ground but also by the sun that's beginning to rise. Renjun and Jeno stood before each other as the former waited for what the latter wanted to say. 

Finally, Jeno opened his mouth to speak. "I have a lot of things to say to you. Things that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to tell you anymore. "

"I… I have a lot of things to say to you, as well, " she replied. 

"Why do I have a feeling that we are thinking about the same thing? "

Renjun heard some beeping before a familiar voice was heard through a speaker. 

"Jeno? " It was Doyoung's voice. "What's taking so long? Did you find her? Mark said you did! Get out of the building now!"

Jeno sighed as the line was cut off. "I guess we're going to have to wait in order to talk. "

Renjun nodded despite the suspense. "I guess we should. "

"But I have something that couldn't anymore wait. "

Before Renjun could ask what it was, Jeno's lips were already on her in a short but fleeting kiss. 

"There. Now we really have to leave. Do you think you can walk on your own? "

Renjun nodded to respond because words were suddenly hard to find. Quite frankly, after that kiss, she was sure she would be able to float! 

●●●

The following events felt so anti-climactic. After fearing about their life for about an entire day, Renjun made it out of the dark room, safe and unscathed. She held hands with Jeno as they skipped through the dead bodies lying on the floor. 

How romantic! 

It felt like she had just walked down from the mountains just after a war. The battle was long over, but a number of casualties were still lying everywhere. 

"Did you and Mark do everything by yourself? "

She felt amazed. First, she didn't realize that theres actually a lot of people involved in her abduction. She only met two, but it seemed as if she passed more than a ten dead bodies already. With that said, even if she was thankful for both Jeno and Mark, she couldn't help but wonder if the two of them had taken on everyone. 

As Renjun expected, Jeno denied doing it by themselves. "We didn't. The hyungs came with us. They also want to save you and Haechan. "

That was heartwarming to hear,especially since Renjun wasn't even that important to begin with. And then there's her doubting that people would come to help them. Why did she even think about that? Oh right. Because of Haechan. Renjun wondered what's going on with the other girl's mind at the moment, especially since Mark also came to save her, despite her initial claims. But that wasn't any of her concern. Not when Jeno's arms wrapped around her middle as he guided her to an elevator. If only they were walking in a red petals decorated floor instead of blood stained once. Perhaps, some other time. 

The elevator rung as they reached the ground floor where more bodies where lying around. Renjun also noticed familiar faces from the gang and she was glad to see them alive and on their feet. 

Oh, and there's Yukhei and Guanheng from the same university she was going to. 

"Aren't they…"

The said student seemed to have recognized her as well and gave her cheerful greeting despite looking like they went through hell. She awkwardly returned the gesture before the two were ushered out of the building. 

"Yes, " Jeno answered her once they're finally gone. "They're Yangyang's friends. They're actually the reason how we are able to find you and Haechan. "

Renjun tilted her head in confusion, a silent request for Jeno to elaborate. 

"Well, Yangyang came to us again, asking for help to trace his friends, who he belatedly realized he had chipped not even long ago. "

Okay. Renjun would just pretend that it's completely normal to microchip a friend. It got everyone safe anyway. 

"We wouldn't have helped him but then we're desperate. You and Haechan were missing, and we don't know how to find and save you without surrendering Dong Sicheng. We had to try every lead, and we figured, both of you and them could be hidden in the same place. "

"And you are right. "

"We are right, yes, " Jeno exclaimed in relief. "Thank heavens we are, or else. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry that we couldn't give them what they want, even if that's the easiest way we could save you. "

But Renjun just shook her head. "It's fine. In the end, you're able to save us. Besides, Sicheng is already dead. You couldn't possibly give them a dead person, right?"

Jeno bit his lips. "I really have a lot of things to say to you. And I promise, I'm going to be completely honest about everything. After all of this things, I think you deserve the right to know. "

Before Renjun could even ask what he was talking about, a group of people were already crowding at them. 

"Hey, it's daughter-in-law number two! "

The familiar faces finally noticed them and flocked at their direction, quickly abandoning the dead bodies they were piling up. Taeyong, Ten, Jaehyun, Doyoung, Professor Moon, and two others whom Renjun was only meeting for the first time, a really tall and muscular guy, and a lean guy with long silver hair that he tied in a low ponytail, crowded around them. All of them barely looked injured, ranging from a few scratches to some not so deep wounds. Renjun was thankful nobody looked seriously harmed. 

"Can you all back off a little bit, " Doyoung said in annoyance while pushing everyone back. "She could still be in shock, or whatever. Leave her alone!"

Ten just rolled his eyes. "Geez. Who would have thought you would be a possessive in-law? Whatever. Johnny, " he called, addressing the really tall stranger. So he was Johnny. Taeyong and Ten's boyfriend if she remembered correctly. "Let's start cleaning this up so that we could go home and you can give me the hot bath that I deserve after a long day. "

"Just a hot bath? " Johnny asked mischievously.

"And many other things. "

"Can you guys, stop? " Taeyong scolded awkwardly. "Renjun can hear you. "

"You can join, too, if you want Tyong-tyongie! " Ten called in a sing-song manner as he and Johnny continued piling up dead bodies near what seemed to be a make shift explosive device. 

Taeyong just covered his face in embarassment, but nevertheless followed them. 

One by one, all of them turned back to whatever they were doing to clean up the scene once Renjun reassured them that she was, in fact, safe and sound. 

Only Doyoung stayed behind. "I'm glad you're okay, " he said with a genuine and fond smile that Renjun never thought Doyoung would be capable of giving her. "At least, I wouldn't have to endure listening to Jeno's crying. "

"Hyung, I didn't cry! "

"You did, " Doyoung insisted before walking away. 

"I swear, I didn't, " Jeno kept on insisting as he guided her outside and to the van waiting for them. Renjun cocked her head in disbelief. "Okay, maybe a little. But that's because I really don't want to lose you! "

Renjun smiled and decided not to tease him about it. Honestly, she was just as scared as he had been. This time, she just wanted to appreciate life and the opportunities waiting for them.   
●●●

Jeno was finally able to usher her to their get away car, where Mark, Haechan, Yukhei, Guanheng and Simon were already waiting for them. 

"About time, " Mark commented from the driver seat as Renjun and Jeno sat in the middle where Simon was waiting for them. "I was thinking about leaving the two of you because you're taking too long. We have an emergency, in case you don't know. "

Mark gave them a sharp look from the rear-view mirror before starting the engine. 

"Are we going to leave the others? "

"They have a ride of their own. We have to get Haechan home fast and have her be checked by Jungwoo-hyung. We could have been there already if you two didn't take your time getting here. "

Renjun grimaced a little at Mark's tone, although she understood why he was acting that way. He was scared, too. Jeno seemed to habe a different opinion though, as he looked ready to argue with his hyung. 

"Mark, be nice. Renjun has been through a lot, too, remember, " Simon lightly scolded Mark in order to diffuse the situation. 

Mark sighed as he began driving towards their destination. "Sorry, " he said before looking at them through the rearview mirror with a tired smile. "I didn't mean to sound so mean. I'm just worried about her." he said the last sentence while giving a quick glance at Haechan who was sleeping in the passenger seat. 

"It's fine, hyung, " Jeno said in return while Renjun just gave him a quick smile. "I understand what you're feeling right now. I feel the same way. "

Mark seemed really worried about Haechan that Renjun was curious as to why the other girl would even think that Mark wouldn't go out of his way to save her. Mark was just like Jeno to her in term's of worrying about Haechan. Was Haechan sure they weren't really dating? 

Whatever. She thought while rubbing her eyes sleepily. That wasn't supposed to be her problem, anyway. 

She was about to doze off when Simon tried to get her attention by lightly tapping her shoulder. 

"Are you really okay? " 

Renjun nodded, and Simon patted her head before sighing in relief.

"I'm glad. I'm really sorry that this happened to you. It's my fault. I'm really sorry. "

Renjun just shook her head, while forcing herself to stay awake and keep up with the conversation. 

"It's not your fault. I'm just glad that you allowed the entire group to save us even if you really didn't have to. "

"I have to, " Simon insisted. "I have to because it's my fault. "

Renjun wondered if it was just because she was sleepy that it was hard to try and make sense of what Simon was trying to tell her. 

"Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll tell you everything. And then you can judge if it's really my fault or not. But for now. For now, take a rest. You deserve it. "

As if on cue, Jeno's hand immediately reached out to pull her head to rest on his shoulder while petting her hair. Renjun sighed contently as she went to dreamland.


	12. Chapter 12

"Is she dead? " Renjun heard a familiar voice asking, although her mind was still not fully awake to identify the owner. 

"Don't say that, Chenle. Of course she isn't! " Renjun heard another voice answering. 

"But she's been sleeping for so long! What if they injected her poison or something! She's too young to die! No! "

Annoyed at the screeching that made it impossible for her to return back to sleep, she began to groan in annoyance. Who the fuck was trying to disrupt her most deserved sleep? 

There was a loud gasp from one of the person in the room before the same person loudly exclaimed, "She's alive! "

If Renjun hadn't been fully awake, yet, she finally was after one person (she's assuming it was a person) jumped on the bed and on her and literally almost took her breathe way. She began coughing. 

"Jie! You're alive! I didn't think you would be but you're alive! "

The person, whom she finally recognized as her cousin, Chenle, continued to wail loudly while hugging her tightly and potentially cutting off her air supply. 

"If you don't let go, I wouldn't be alive for too long. And what do you mean by saying you didn't think I would be alive? " she asked in an angry tone, or at least, she tried. She began patting Chenle's back, harshly, hoping her cousin would get the message.

Thankfully, he did. Chenle pulled away from her but remained seated on the bed. Renjun took the chance to inhale the air that she had been missing before slowly getting up and resting her head on the head board. So where was she? She was definitely not in the apartment she's sharing with Jaemin, although the said boyfriend was there, standing in the room and looking at her with a scared look in his eyes. 

Where was she? How did she get here? 

It was during that time that her cousin decided to be over-dramatic once again and let out a gasp. "Oh no! She looks disoriented! She doesn't remember anything! She doesn't remember what happened! She doesn't remember me, she doesn't remember you, Jaemin-hyung! It's an amnesia, hyung! What are we going to do? "

Renjun rolled her eyes. "I really wish I don't remember you right now, Chenle. "

"Oh, you know who I am? "

Renjun huffed. "Yes. And I don't have an amnesia. "

Let's see. What happened before all of these? 

Oh right. She was kidnapped. How could she even forget about that? She was kidnapped and she was saved by Jeno and the gang. The last thing that she remembered was falling asleep in the car with her head on Jeno's shoulder. So how did she get here? And where was "here" exactly? 

"We're still in Seoul, " Jaemin replied as if reading her mind. Her boyfriend moved forward for the first time to sit beside her, his hand automatically brushing and taming stubborn strands of her hair. Renjun felt herself relaxing at the gesture. "We're still in Seoul, I think. In some suburb area. I'm not really sure. I wasn't paying attention during the drive. I couldn't really focus. I was worried about you. I really thought I lost you. "

Jaemin rarely even frowned and Renjun hated to be reason for it. She felt so guilty especially since she could only imagine what Jaemin went through while she was gone. "I'm sorry. I should have hold on tighter and never let go. I'm sorry that I worried you. "

Jaemin sighed. "It's not that, " her boyfriend replied while looking down, as if suddenly invested in the patterns of the comforter. "I feel so useless. You're in danger, and I couldn't even do anything to save you. I wanted to go, but Jeno wouldn't let me. If anything happened to you, to both of you, then I couldn't forgive myself for not doing anything. "

"Don't say that! " Renjun exclaimed. "It's not your fault that I was kidnapped. Besides, I'm happy that Jeno didn't allow you to come along. I couldn't even imagine you putting yourself in danger because of me. Besides, it's all done. I'm safe. I'm alive. "

"Thanks to Jeno, " Jaemin replied. Renjun tried to search for any sign of jealousy on her boyfriend and was relieved not to find anything. "Imagine what we would do without him. Him and his expertise in this field. I never imagined I would be so happy to have someone who wants to take care of you as much as I do. You should have seen the way he's looking at you as he carried you here. You should have seen the way he fuzzed over you and demanded for Jungwoo to check if you're okay. I had to remind him I'm a nursing student and promise to watch over you to calm him down. He really loves you, Renjun. I'm telling you. "

"About that. " Renjun couldn't help but bit her lips at the reminder of the kiss that she and Jeno had shared. She wanted nothing else but to share such development to her boyfriend. That, and the confession that Haechan had given on Jeno's behalf. 

A cough was heard. 

Both Renjun and Jaemin turned to her cousin. "I know, I know, sorry for disrupting your Jeno-fantasizing moment. But I just feel like I need to say something before leaving you two to have your privacy. "

Renjun tilted her head to the side to urge her cousin to hurry up. Chenle took a deep breathe before opening his mouth. "Jie, I'm sorry. We shouldn't have followed Mark that night. I shouldn't have involved you in such dangerous thing all because of a stupid crush. I mean, Taeyong-hyung isn't stupid, he's still the most beautiful face in this world. But he also has boyfriends whom he loves dearly so he wouldn't give me a single look. It was a stupid move on my part to suspect Mark and to follow him despite my suspicions. I also feel sorry that you're the one who suffered the most because of my actions. I wish it was me who was kidnapped instead. I'm really sorry, and you know I love you, right? "

Renjun didn't notice it at first, but at the moment, she could clearly see Chenle's puffy eyes. Poor baby had probably been crying. Renjun wanted to coo because this was probably the first time that Chenle acted this sweet in front of her. 

She was a little surprised to know that Chenle already knew about Taeyong's relationship status and wasn't being grumpy about it. Moreover, she was taken aback at her cousin taking full accountability of his actions. Chenle was really maturing, and Renjun felt like a proud parent. 

Renjun pretended to be upset. "Fine. But don't do something like that in the future again, okay? " Chenle nodded obediently. "Then you're forgiven. And I love you, too, even if you're annoying and dramatic most of the time. Now, I need time alone with my boyfriend. "

Chenle huffed. "Cousins nowadays prioritize boyfriends over family. " 

Jaemin only chuckled in response as they watched Chenle scrambled to his feet and head to the door, but not before giving Jaemin a warning look. "She's been through a lot. Please be nice and gentle to her. "

Renjun couldn't help but throw a pillow on the already closed door. Jaemin just continued to laugh amusedly. 

"Are you sure we can't adopt him? "

Renjun rolled her eyes. "He's too old to be our child. Besides, his parents are filthy reach and we'll go broke for even daring to take his custody. "

"Fair enough," Jaemin replied before relaxing against the head board. They stayed there in silence, and Renjun took that as her chance to speak. 

"I have something to tell you, " Renjun said to get her boyfriend's attention. "It involves Jeno. "

"I also have something to tell you, " Jaemin replied. "It also involves Jeno. "

Renjun turned to her boyfriend in confusion, only for Jaemin to wiggle his eyebrows at her. 

A knock was heard, followed by the sound of door opening. Jeno's face immediately peeked inside to check on them. 

"Hi, " he greeted in a slightly awkward manner. "I met Chenle on my way here. I was told you're awake and I thought I had to see for myself. "

"There you are! " Jaemin exclaimed a little too excited than necessary in Renjun's opinion, as the former scrambled to his feet to pull Jeno inside. "I was wondering why you never returned anymore. Where were you?"

"Sorry," Jeno responded with a slight blush on his cheeks. Renjun didn't miss Jaemin's firm hold on Jeno's biceps. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "I thought I should give you two some privacy, you know, after everything that happened. "

"Nonsense! " Jaemin replied. "We don't need privacy from you. Not after everything that happened. I haven't thank you yet for saving Renjun from those bad guys. Thank you, Jeno. I have no words to express how grateful I am to you. Will you accept this, instead? "

Renjun wondered if she accidentally bumped her head somewhere hard and thus caused her to see visions. Was she dreaming? Was she delusional? Or did Jaemin really cup Jeno's cheeks with his palms and pulled him close to press their lips together?

Renjun blinked a couple times to confirm if it's real. And yes, she wasn't dreaming. Jaemin was really kissing Jeno and it seemed to her that Jeno was responding well to that kiss. 

They pulled away shortly, much to Renjun's disappointment. They both finally turned to her, Jeno with a surprised and embarrassing expression and Jaemin with his usual calm one. Renjun stared back at them as well, her confusion evident on her face. Jaemin decided to ask, "Oh, sorry. Are you jealous that I didn't kiss you first? Sorry. I was really planning to, but you know, Chenle was here. But here, let me make up for it. "

Jaemin wasted no time skipping towards her direction to place the lips that had just been on Jeno's on her own. Renjun was too stupefied to respond. 

Jaemin pulled away not long after. "Something wrong? "

Renjun just blinked at him. "Not really. I just… can you explain to me what happened earlier? "

●●●

"It's not what it looks like, " Jeno defensively explained as he remained rooted to his position with his back behind the door. He was looking at Renjun nervously and Renjun had no idea what was there to be nervous about in the first place. 

"Don't listen to him, baby, " Jaemin replied with a pout before reclaiming the space he abandoned and shuffling closer to her, all while throwing Jeno an accusing look. "It is exactly what it looks like. "

Jeno's eyes widened as he shifted his stare between them, unsure of what to do next. It was kind of funny to Renjun, especially since the sight was very different from the Jeno who arrived with Mark with a gun in hand, determined to save Haechan and her. 

"I… I just…" he began to stutter. "I just thought that we should let her rest before talking about it. "

"Hmp, " Jaemin grumbled while crossing his arms. "How could you, Jeno? Denying about me, just like that. "

Renjun blinked again in confusion. "Okay. So can someone tell me now what is really happening? "

She wasn't angry or anything. She's just confused and maybe a little excited to find out why she just saw the two of them kissing. What she was getting annoyed at was the fact that Jeno was standing too far away from her. She signalled for him to come with her outstretched hand. Jeno hesitantly obliged. She patted the space on her right and Jeno complied by sitting down next to her. 

Perfect. "Now. Explain. "

"Jeno confessed to me that he likes me. "

"Jaemin! " Jeno protested immediately. 

"What? Isn't that the truth? " Jaemin feigned a hurt expression and Jeno immediately melted. 

"Just, slowly. Say it to her slowly. Please. "

Jaemin mumbled to himself. "Fine. "

Renjun stared at her boyfriend expectantly. Jaemin took a deep breathe before reaching out to cup Renjun's face with his hands. "I might have confessed to him while you're missing. "

"It's not that bad, " Jeno defended again, causing Renjun to turn to him abruptly despite Jaemin holding her cheeks. "I swear, I, we, it's not that we took advantage of you being gone to confess to each other. It's not that, I swear and I like you, too. Jaemin likes you, too, so much, so please don't think about it like that. "

Renjun had to furrow her brows in order for her to understand what Jeno was talking about until everything finally clicked. Was he worried that Renjun would be angry because of that? Wait, why would she? Is there a reason to? 

"You're not, you know, going to date each other and ditch me, right? " 

"No! " Jaemin and Jeno exclaimed in unison. 

"Why would you even think like that, baby? " Jaemin pouted as he made Renjun look at him once again. "Do you really think I'll steal away your crush and then ditch you for Jeno? "

"Not really, " Renjun said truthfully. "It's just that Jeno is acting like he did something bad. "

"I told you, " Jaemin mouthed to Jeno who just sighed in relief. 

"I might have overreacted. Sorry? " Jeno replied. Renjun didn't need to look at him to know that he's a blushing mess again. 

"So, how did all of it happen? "

●●●

It was an out of the blue confession, Renjun was sure it was. It was something that slipped off of Jaemin's tongue in a fit of worry. 

"So you just basically told Jeno that you can't lose me and that you have to find me because we still have to confess to him? "

"That's not how I said it, " Jaemin defended himself only for Jeno to chime in. "That's exactly how he said it."

Jaemin glared at Jeno. Renjun couldn't say that he didn't like this new dynamics between his two love. 

"I remember what I said. I said, 'I couldn't believe this is happening. We were just suppose to confess to you and maybe date you, but now Renjun is missing and everything is not supposed to be this way. We have to find her! ' There that's what I said."

"Isn't that the same thing? " Jeno teased again, causing Jaemin to huff before looking at Renjun for help. Renjun decided to have mercy by turning her attention to Jeno. 

"And how did you respond to that?"

Jeno was once again flustered. "I told him I like both of you, too, and that I'll do everything to save you and then we'll try to find out how things will work among the three of us. "

"Not a lie but, I'm pretty sure that's not the first thing that you said to me. "

Jeno shot Jaemin a pleading look, but it was too late. Nobody teased Jaemin and believed her boyfriend wouldn't attack back. "I remember you looking surprised and conflicted before blurting out, 'what do you mean by confessing? You can't confess to me! You like each other right? Not me? ' There. That's what you said. "

Jeno shuffled closer to Renjun to bury his face on her shoulder. Renjun chuckled despite the surprise and giddy feeling in her chest brought on by the sudden and unexpected gesture. She certainly didn't mind Jeno being that close. 

"I really had no idea, " Jeno confessed. "I mean, you two are in love. It's obvious. I honestly didn't think any of you will see me the way you see each other. You guys looks like the perfect match. I didn't think I would have a place in your relationship. "

"If it makes you feel better, I didn't think you would like me, too. I mean, I didn't know until Haechan told me. "

"Haechan? " Jeno moved his head to stare at her. "What did she say? "

"A lot, " Renjun decided to tease him again. "But let's just say that she made me realize I'm being stupid all this time. "

"Hah, not me, " Jaemin exclaimed proudly. "I've always known that Jeno likes you, I mean, he has that kind of stare… and glare. I mean, he really used to glare at me whenever he thought I couldn't notice. Since when did you stop glaring at me and start feeling something else for me, Jeno? I never really noticed the change. "

Jeno coughed awkwardly before placing his chin on top of Renjun's shoulder while staring at Jaemin. It was as if Renjun was discovering a new side of him, clingy one and she's loving it. 

"First of all, sorry about glaring at you, " Jeno said shamefully. "I know I shouldn't have but I really couldn't help it. I have really liked Renjun a lot and I couldn't help but feel jealous that you're both dating each other. But then, as I spend time living with you, I realized that Renjun has a very good reason for being with you. You're nice, and sweet, even to me. I couldn't help but also fall for you. "

There's this bashful smile on her boyfriend's face and Renjun couldn't help but coo. 

Speaking of boyfriend. 

"So, Jeno, are you our boyfriend now? "

"Depends, " Jeno mumbled as an answer. "Are you okay with dating a person involved in a dangerous group. I could potentially get both of you in danger and your life would never be normal once again. Would that be okay? "

"I mean, now that I know about it, it's actually sexy. "

Trust Jaemin to find anything hot in every situation. But she must admit, Jeno being the knight in shining armor saving her from the bad guys was definitely a sight. 

"We trust you, " Renjun said for the both of them. "And now that Jaemin already knows about it, we can be more careful. "

"Besides, it's not like you're going to allow us to be hurt, right? " Jaemin asked. 

"Of course not! "Jeno quickly replied. "Of course I wouldn't let any of you be harmed. I'll risk my life to protect both of you at all cost. " 

"Hopefully, no life will be risked for anybody, " Renjun replied with a shudder. "Let's all be safe for each other's sake. So? "

"So? " Jaemin mimicked. 

"So, do I have a girlfriend and a boyfriend, now? "Jeno asked with a hopeful tone. Renjun couldn't help but smile. "I don't know. But a kiss would probably make me decide. "

Jeno didn't need anymore instruction as he gently pushed Renjun down and hovered above her. He dipped his head to close the distance between their lips. 

Jeno wasn't an eager kisser. He was all light pecks and testing the water, that Renjun had to take the initiative by parting her lips slightly in order to invite Jeno's tongue in. Jeno didn't need to be told twice, to give Renjun what she was asking for. 

Renjun moaned as Jeno's tongue brushed against her or own, causing Jeno to chuckle and break the kiss. 

"I think that's a yes. "

"Excuse me? " Renjun could here the eagerness on Jaemin's voice. "You also need an answer from me, in case you forgot. " He crossed his arms for emphasis. 

Jeno gave him one last peck before moving towards Jaemin and pulling the other guy by the nape and crashing their lips against each other. 

Renjun couldn't help but squirm as she looked up to watch them. While Jeno was all gentle and caring towards him, the case definitely not the same towards Jaemin. 

Between them, it's all about the battle of dominance, and both Jeno and Jaemin weren't willing to relent. Renjun had been with Jaemin for a long time, but it was the first time that she was seeing him like that. Renjun wondered of it was morally correct to bet on which of her two boyfriends would win. 

Jeno began tugging on Jaemin's hair, causing the said boyfriend to moan against the kiss and submit to the other. 

They separated, a string of spit still connecting their bruised lips. 

Jaemin turned to Renjun and she instantly gulped as a reaction. There was a certain darkness in his eyes that made Renjun nervous and hot all over. She closed her eyes as her boyfriend began to lean forward. 

She was expecting for her boyfriend's lips to touch her own only for her to be surprised as it connected to a sensitive spot on her neck. She moaned and pulled on Jaemin's hair as he began sucking and biting on her sensitive spot. 

"Jaemin, " she whined. She was feeling so sensitive and heady. After all, it had been too long. With everything that had happened and with Jeno living with them, intimacy was almost non-existent. She squeezed her legs together as she felt her own wetness seeping. 

"It's okay, baby, " Jaemin said in between sucks and licks. "We don't have to be ashamed of Jeno watching. It's okay now. "

Renjun opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but true enough, Jeno was watching the scene with lustful eyes. His chest was heaving and if Renjun would look lower, she would see him palming the bulge on his pants.

It was then that Renjun realized something and mustered the energy to push Jaemin away. 

Jaemin looked at her in surprised. Lust was immediately replaced by worry as he hovered above her to check on her. "What's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere? Fuck, I'm sorry, baby. I was too eager. I forgot that what you had just been through. I'm really sorry! "

To the side, Jeno also looked panic-stricken, and if Renjun wouldn't say anything yet, he would definitely bolt to the door and demand for Jungwoo to check upon her. 

Renjun took a deep breath to calm herself. She shook her head to shake the heat away. 

"It's not that," she quickly denied. "I'm fine. I'm not hurt anywhere. I just… it's going to be our first time together, all three of us. And I sort of wanted it to not be rushed? For it to be special and memorable? "

Jaemin's eyes softened as he stared at her. He cooed before squeezing Renjun's cheeks. "You wanted it to be romantic. " Renjun blushed. "That's nice. I wouldn't mind waiting if that's what you want. Jeno? "

Both of them turned to their new boyfriend who was silently watching their interaction. Renjun nervously tried to gauge his reaction, only for Jeno to give them his blinding smile. 

"I mean, I can now cuddle you without feeling guilty so it wouldn't be bad. "

Renjun let out a sigh in relief as both boyfriend lie down beside her, before shuffling close and making her feel warm. 

She heard Jeno yawning. "Sorry, " Jeno mumbled as an apology. "I haven't gotten much rest this days. " Renjun patted the arm that was wrapped around her. 

"Now that you mentioned it, I honestly didn't get much sleep either, " Jaemin replied. "Would any of you mind staying here for a couple mor minutes? "

Renjun was already wide awake but frankly, she wouldn't mind at at all, especially since between her boyfriends was the most comfortable place on earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's not yet the end. I added 1 more chapter because there are some thing I wasn't able to include here due to time constraint. I por you don't mind. 💚


	13. Chapter 13

"Finally, after a long wait! " Yangyang exclaimed while stretching his arms and accidentally bumping his fist with his friends' head in the process. The said friend didn't seemed bothered by it in the slightest, mostly because they knew how long Yangyang had been waiting for this moment, but also because they shared his curiosity. 

How could they not? They were pretty much dragged into this situation, experienced the worst, and lived through it all. They made it this far, and thus believed they deserve answers to their questions, or rather, Yangyang's questions. 

Despite being initially wary of Yangyang's character, Renjun couldn't help but agree. It wasn't just because the boy had played his part in saving Renjun (although in all honesty, he wasn't trying to save Renjun at all. He's trying to save his friends, and Renjun and Haechan just happened to be there). 

She agreed because yes, finally, after everything that they went through, they're finally going to get the answers to their questions. At least, that's what they had all been hoping. 

It was later the previous day when the rest of the gang returned after being done "taking care of everything". All of them were already too tired about everything to do or say much, hence, the conversation was postponed the following day, during breakfast of all time. All of them, or at least, all of them who were "casualties" in the events that happened the other day were gathered in the living room, where Simon, Taeyong and Kun were standing in front of all of them. Renjun couldn't help but feel like they were in a camp and facing the camp's headmasters. 

They all had different expressions on their faces. Yangyang, Yukhei and Guanheng all looked excited as they look up to the trio in front of them from their position on the floor. Chenle looked like he's on the verge of falling back to sleep at any moment, considering how he's leaning his head on Jaemin's shoulder. Jaemin looked pretty much the same, rubbing his eyes with his fist as he lamented on how it's unfair that Jeno wasn't there with them, and how it's bad luck to separate them this early in the morning. Renjun just chuckled as she patted her boyfriend's thigh. Admittedly, she also missed her new boyfriend's presence but Jeno had no business being there. The meeting, as Kun put it, was only for newbies, or those who would possibly be newbies in their family. 

Beside her, Haechan was trying to look nonchalant, but Renjun knew better to know that she's probably jumping on the inside, for finally being in on the gang's secret. In Renjun's opinion, she actually didn't belong there, because Renjun saw her as part of the gang already. But then again, she had issues about being excluded, which Renjun could only blame on Mark based on the things Haechan had told her.

As for Renjun, she didn't really know what to feel about it. She wasn't as excited as Haechan and no one, not even Yangyang, could beat her desire to uncover the secret. Renjun, however, knew that if she wanted to be with Jeno for the long run, then she should take all of this seriously for the gang and their secrets will always be a part of their lives. 

"So, what is it? " Yangyang asked impatiently. "What's the secret? Are we going to find out where Dong Sicheng is? "

Right. Dong Sicheng. The root of all of this. Because no, Renjun wouldn't only be afraid of authorities finding out about Jeno, his job and his family. Renjun also needed to be wary of those who are looking for this Dong Sicheng. 

"Calm down, kid, " Taeyong said with a half amused smile. "We'll get there. For now, we want to make sure that you all know what you're getting into. Once we tell you, there's no going back. You'll all be ours. "

"So, are we going to die if ever we try to run away after knowing your secre I'm not scared or anything. Just curious." Taeyong chuckled at Yukhei's words. "You're not going to die. We're not going to kill any of you, unless of course you're a spy from the authority and our enemies. "

"Danger comes with the knowledge, " Simon continued after Taeyong. "And after knowing our secret, you'll be asked to take it to your grave. People would come after you because of that knowledge, but you must remain loyal and never tell anyone. We will protect you. We will always do our best to protect you, but for the protection of many, you must never tell a single soul about it. "

"If ever you feel like this is so much more than you can handle, we must advice you to leave. Leave and make sure no one could ever trace you from us, ever again. " Kun warned, uncharacteristically calm about the situation. Wasn't this the time for him to panic and tell all of them to save themselves and run? But then again, it was probably late for that, especially for Renjun. 

"I just want my pancakes for breakfast, not complicated decisions. Can't we finish this now and then have our breakfast? "

Renjun reached out to pinch her cousin. 

Not one of them stood up to leave. Kun sighed before counting the people in front of them. "I guess that's seven new kids in the family. "

"Six, " Taeyong corrected him. "Haechan has been our family for so long already. "

Renjun turned to the other girl to see her smiling and shooting Taeyong a grateful look. 

"Right, " Kun agreed. "Of course she is. "

"So, the secret? " Yangyang reminded them eagerly. "Dong Sicheng? When are you going to tell us? "

Kun huffed while massaging his temples, slightly leaning towards Taeyong's direction to whisper audibly for all of them to hear. "Why do I have a feeling that he's going to be a problem? "

"Your problem, " Taeyong emphasized the first word. "I'm signing away my parental rights. One Mark Lee is enough for me, and I'm pretty sure Doyoung's already contented with Jeno and his new in-laws. You'll be the parent this time. "

Kun looked ready to argue, but Taeyong cut him off by clearing his throat. "Now that it's obvious that none of you are going to leave, we'll start off by welcoming you in our family. I hope you'll live long. Yeah. Hopefully. Please stay out of trouble, because there surely be a lot now that you're—"

"We get it, so where's Dong Sicheng? "

"I want my pancakes!"

Taeyong sighed. "Can't you all be fucking patient for once and listen to me properly? "

"Don't curse the kids! "

Finally, Simon stepped forward. He placed a hand each on Taeyong and Kun's shoulder, signalling them to step aside. 

"Maybe we could go without further delays and give them what they've been asking for? " He then turned to all of them and gave them his trademark smile. "Hi. I'm not sure if I already introduce myself properly to all of you, but if not, then please call me Simon. Although I wasn't born as Simon at all. I was born as Dong Sicheng. "

●●●

Everyone stayed silent. Not a single one them said a word despite Simon's, or rather Sicheng's long speech already ending. It wasn't that they were waiting for more. They were all just speechless. Mind-blown. 

And a little scared. Definitely a little scared. 

Even Chenle had forgotten about his breakfast already, and Renjun wouldn't be surprised if her cousin already lost his appetite. 

It was just too much. It was already shocking to find out that Dong Sicheng, the infamous Dong Sicheng that a lot of people were after were already in front of them, and had been with them all along. Wow. Renjun felt tricked. She didn't know whether she should feel angry about that, knowing that the very reason she was kidnapped was just there, hiding behind a different identity. 

But then, Sicheng had to explain his secret, and all the anger she was about to feel instantly melted. Because wow, that's one hell of a secret, and no one needed to tell Renjun to keep it. They wouldn't even need to put a gun against her head for her to swear that she would take it to the grave.

"Wow. This is really serious isn't it? " Jaemin said to no one in particular, but Renjun found herself nodding. All of them, except for Yangyang and his friends, were all surprised. Even Haechan herself. She probably didn't have an idea that the secret that everyone, especially Mark, was hiding from her would be that much. Renjun could finally understand why they wouldn't want anyone else to find out. It wasn't about trust at all. It was about not burdening people with the responsibility that came with the knowledge. 

"It's a lot, isn't it? " Sicheng said after a while, turning to the other two for help before turning back to them. "Does anyone have a question? "

How can I forget about everything that I know so that I could fall asleep tonight? Renjun wanted to ask, but decided against it. It was definitely too late to back out now. 

"I have one, " Yangyang said while raising his hand, causing Kun to mutter "eager student" a little to loudly. Taeyong looked at him with an amused smile while mouthing "he's your responsibility. "

"About your secret, " Yangyang asked, while looking at Sicheng as if he's the only person in the room. Renjun had almost forgotten about him being fanatic and obsessed about finding Sicheng. Based on his reaction, he definitely knew about this secret, and it was probably the reason why he had been looking for Sicheng. Renjun wondered if she should be afraid or… Well, yeah. She should be afraid. 

"Are you going to keep it forever? Like you wouldn't share it with anyone at all? "

"Oh no! " Kun exclaimed. "He's really going to be a problem. He's going to be the death of me! "

Taeyong just rolled his eyes as Sicheng replied. 

"No, " Sicheng replied flatly, causing Yangyang to deflate. "It shouldn't even exist. In all honesty, had my father not forced me to have this secret, I wouldn't want to have it either, but I didn't have a choice. He didn't give me one. In all honesty, I could go without knowing. I feel like, it would have made my life, and the lives of the people around me, easier. We could live a better life. Criminals, maybe, but still easier. "

Taeyong and Kun nodded in agreement. Renjun couldn't help but admire everyone in the gang for being loyal and not succumbing to fear and temptation. They could run away and distance themselves from Sicheng to avoid further trouble, or they could sell the information for a hefty sum of money. Yet they stayed with him, protected him and helped him protect his secret. Renjun never knew unity as strong as theirs. 

"But what about the good guys?" Yangyang asked again. "You could change the world because of what you know. You could get rid of the bad guys! The capitalists, the tyrants, all of them! You have the power to change the world. Are you really just going to hide forever? "

"Calm down, kid, " Yukhei said while patting his friend on the shoulder. Guanheng mimicked him. 

"Yes, calm down. It's far more complicated than you think. "

"It could change the world, true, " Sicheng replied after giving Yangyang's statement a thought. "But we aren't sure if it's for the better or for worse. "

"It's not that easy to determine which people are good or bad, "Taeyong added. "Majority are good until they realized how much power they have over the others. They're good, until they become weak to the power that would consume their morality. "

"The responsibility of finding the right people to share the knowledge with is too much, " Kun continued to explain. "We're all humans. We're fallible. Giving informations to the wrong hand could be fatal. For us. For the whole world. "

It made sense. No one should ever know what Sicheng knew or else they might use it for their own gain, at the expense of the entire humanity. It was a secret that had to remain a secret forever. 

Yangyang sat in defeat. "I guess you're right. It's something that shouldn't be shared with anyone at all. "

"So, " Haechan opened her mouth for the first time that day. "What's next? Now that we know about this, what's going to happen next? "

Renjun turned to her to see the look of anticipation on the other girls face. She heard the three chuckling. 

"Of course you would ask that, " Taeyong replied amusedly. "You've been looking forward to this for a long while, didn't you? "

Haechan nodded, suddenly giving Taeyong a heart-melting pout. "Yes, oppa. I've been waiting for this moment. "

Taeyong sighed. "We can't prolong this anymore, I guess. "

Sicheng, Taeyong and Kun all shared a look, before turning Taeyong took a step forward to take the lead. 

"These are the things the all of you must bear in mind. Number one…"

●●●

"So how did it go? " Jeno asked the moment they step out of the living room and went to the dining room where a breakfast was already prepared for all of them. Only Renjun, Jaemin and Chenle went there, as the trio of Yangyang's group excused themselves, most probably to help Yangyang get over his frustrations. Haechan on the other hand was intercepted by Mark for a conversation, to which the former agreed. Chenle immediately dashed to serve himself the pancake that he had been craving for, paying Jeno's question no mind. 

"We were offered an employment opportunity, " Jaemin said nonchalantly as he pulled Renjun and Jeno to sit with him. He took a whiff of the foods on the table before humming in delight. "Yum. Is this a regular thing for your family to serve this much breakfast? "

"Taeyong-hyung loves to cook. So does Jaehyun-hyung and Kun-hyung. Yes, I guess? " Jeno replied as Jaemin continued to fill both of their plates with food, probably more than Renjun intended to eat. "So did you accept it? "

Renjun was about to open her mouth, but Chenle opened his first. 

"I did, " Chenle answered with a mouthful of pancake. "But Kun said, I'll only get to do gang stuff after my homework. What kind of gangster does that? "

"A baby gangster, " Jaemin commented while giving Chenle a paper napkin. "A baby gangster who eats messily. "

Chenle scowled, but nevertheless, wiped his mouth obediently. 

"We said we would think about it, " Renjun turned to Jeno to answer. "Is that bad? "

Jeno let out a sigh in relief. "Actually, no. I was kind of hoping you wouldn't say yes, but I guess thinking about it wouldn't be that bad. "

"Do you not want us to be part of your family, Jeno? "

Jaemin gave their boyfriend his infamous pout that immediately drove Jeno worried. Jeno turned to Renjun for help, but she just shrugged it off to tease him. 

"It's not that, " Jeno said, while reaching out to touch Jaemin's hand, going over Renjun's to do so. "I just know how dangerous things could be in the business, and I'd rather you both stay out of it for as much as possible. I just don't want any of you to be hurt." 

"Aww, " Jaemin cooed. "That's sweet. But honestly, I don't have interest in working in field anyway. They told me you guys need someone in the medical field… badly. Apparently, they're claiming that this doctor, Jungwoo-hyung, really needs someone who can assist him. "

Jeno visibly shuddered, and Renjun was immediately reminded of her first interaction with Jungwoo. Would it be safe to leave him with one of her boyfriends? 

"Just, uhm, don't let him practice on you, no matter how convincing he is. "

Jaemin just shrugged it off. "How bad could that possibly be? "

Really bad, Renjun replied in her head. 

"And what did they offer you? " Jeno turned his attention to Renjun, eyes filled with worry and curiosity. She didn't know what kind of evil spirit entered her body and made her want to tease Jeno even more. 

"Well, I'm majoring in Astronomy, so there's not much gang related job they could offer me. But they did offer me a job in one your clubs. Something about going on a stage and dancing naked?"

Jeno sputtered as Jaemin and Chenle cackled in the background. Renjun had to bite her lips to prevent herself from laughing. 

"I need to talk to them! " Jeno stood up, still not catching on the joke. Renjun had to stop him before he could do something stupid. He looked ready to fight. "Calm down! "

"How can I? " Jeno exclaimed angrily. "This is disrespect! It's blatant favoritism on Taeyong-hyung's part. He often said that for Mark's sake, Haechan couldn't work there, but then they offered you that job? This is unfair. I'm going to tell Doyoung, and he's going to help me protect your honor! "

Jaemin had to help her into pulling Jeno back to a sitting position. So the joke might have been to cruel. Time to take it back. 

"You aren't going to cry in front of Doyoung for nothing, Jeno. It's a joke. No one offered me to strip naked, okay? It's not true. "

"It's not true? "

Renjun rolled her eyes. "No. But I might consider this when I'm short on cash. I mean, I did ballet when I was younger. I have the balance and flexibility. Maybe I could learn how to use the pole?"

"No, you can't! " Jeno immediately protested. "I will not let you! You're mine now! "

Renjun was a little taken aback by Jeno's sudden possessiveness, and was about to lecture him about how he couldn't own people. But then again, Renjun was weak to pouting, especially when Jeno's about to cry for real. 

"Aww, don't worry, Jeno, she's just kidding, " Jaemin decided to chime in, probably taking pity of their new boyfriend already. "She wouldn't do it. Besides, there's other means for her to show off her balance and flexibility, where, you know, she'll only have us as an audience. "

"Eww, " Chenle glared at them with a disgusted look. "Really? Right in front of my pancake? "

Renjun smacked her boyfriend's shoulder loudly. 

"So you're both really going to stay with me, right? " Jeno asked after he had calmed down. "Like stay for real. "

"Is that even supposed to be a question at this point? "

"Right, " Jeno replied. "I just really can't believe it yet. "

"You better get used to it because we're not going to leave you alone, " Jaemin added while wiggling his eyebrows. 

"Am I supposed to be excited or scared? "

"Both, " Renjun replied, causing Jaemin to exclaim. 

"Spicy. I like that. "

"Can you guys not? " Chenle said once again, with a throwing up gesture. 

Renjun just rolled her eyes. Whatever. It all started with Chenle anyway. Her cousin better get used to seeing Renjun not with one, but two boyfriends whom she loved the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it ended. 
> 
> Probably one of the most random fic I've ever written, lol. Nevertheless, thank you for everyone who read and supported this fic. 
> 
> As for the MarkHyuck side story, all I have at the moment is an intro chapter so it will probably take long. 
> 
> Again, thank you and be safe wherever you guys are. 💚

**Author's Note:**

> KUDOS and COMMENTS are highly appreciated! Thank you !!!! 💚


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